BUFFALO, N.Y. - Osborne Association, in partnership with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Peaceprints of WNY, today announced the Buffalo launch of Osborne’s Kinship Reentry Housing Program, an innovative, family-centered reentry housing model that provides direct cash assistance, counseling, peer support, and services to families welcoming loved ones home from incarceration.
The Buffalo launch marks the first expansion beyond New York City of Osborne’s Kinship Reentry Housing Program, representing a significant step toward bringing a successful model to new communities across New York State. The unprecedented program, which was launched in 2021 with support from Trinity Church, is designed to address two closely connected challenges faced by people returning home: the need for safe and stable housing, and the need to rebuild relationships with loved ones and community.
Families are often the first and most important source of support for people coming home from prison or jail. But many families who want to welcome a loved one home face financial strain, emotional stress, housing instability, and the practical challenges of reentry. The Kinship Reentry Housing Program recognizes that families are already doing this work and provides resources to help them do it safely and sustainably.
“Coming home should not mean choosing between homelessness and placing impossible pressure on the people who love you most,” said Jonathan Monsalve, President and CEO of Osborne Association. “The Kinship Reentry Housing Program starts from a simple truth: families are central to successful reentry, and they deserve support. By expanding this model to Buffalo with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Peaceprints, we are investing in stability, dignity, and the power of community to help people rebuild their lives.”
The program provides participating families with direct financial support, counseling, peer support, and connections to services. Peer workers with lived experience supporting a loved one through reentry help families prepare for the transition, navigate challenges, and build a foundation for long-term stability. The Buffalo initiative brings together public safety, reentry, and community-based partners.
The Erie County Sheriff’s Office helped advance the partnership and secure new federal funding totaling $1 million, meaning no county tax dollars would be required for this initiative. Peaceprints of WNY will support local referrals and community connection, and Osborne will bring its proven Kinship model, implementation experience, and family-centered approach.
“This partnership reflects our belief that public safety is strengthened when people returning home have stable housing, strong family connections, and the support they need to succeed,” said Thomas Diina, Chief of Community Reintegration at the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. “By working with Osborne and Peaceprints, Erie County is helping families become part of the solution and investing in a model that can reduce instability before it becomes a crisis.”
“Peaceprints has long believed in the power of restoration, second chances, and community support,” said Lindsey Allen, Senior Director of Operations at Peaceprints of WNY. “The Kinship Reentry Housing Program aligns with that mission by helping families welcome loved ones home with the resources, guidance, and dignity they need. We are proud to help bring this model to Buffalo and connect families to support.”
The Buffalo launch builds on Osborne’s broader presence in Western New York. Since opening its Buffalo office in 2019, Osborne has worked with children, youth, and families affected by incarceration through programs that include youth leadership and enrichment, mentoring, video visiting, transportation support for prison visits, family engagement, and training for organizations and systems that interact with children of incarcerated parents.
Since its inception in New York City in 2021, the downstate kinship program has assisted 343 participants, distributing nearly $1.5 million in funding, providing an average cash assistance of $6,000 annually to each family. The program has achieved a nearly 100% success rate, with nearly all participants remaining free from new criminal justice involvement. The Buffalo expansion is expected to serve 25 families each year.
“The financial support was a great help for me and my family. It also helped with my son not feeling like he was a burden,” said Malkia Walker-Mignott, who participated in the program in Brooklyn. “The therapy resources helped us connect. I thank Osborne for helping me and my family, for being compassionate, and encouraging us to reach for the stars.”