As of FY 2021, according to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, there are over 15,000 people incarcerated in Maryland and 33% of all returnees from State custody return to Baltimore City.

While incarcerated, individuals suffer from trauma, isolation, rejection, as well as mental health and substance use disorders.  When they return to their families and communities they often have difficulty successfully reintegrating.  They need resources and support.

HOPE started in 2016 when founder Antoin Quarles paid for 5 bus passes for 7 months to people recently released from incarceration. Emmanuel Episcopal Church gave HOPE donations from that point forward.

HOPE’s main focus is to sustain support for those released by connecting them with services that lead to pathways of change and we empower communities with hope. Since 2016, we have worked deeply & consistently with more than 100 returning citizens directly in our Tuesday night program.

HOPE’s services also save tax dollars. According to the Prison Policy Initiative and the Governor’s Office for Children, the cost of incarcerating one person for one year is $38,000. While some of those costs are overhead, many are directly related to the cost of keeping a person incarcerated: food, healthcare, clothing.

HOPE Founder, Antoin Quarles, knows better than anyone how difficult reentry can be after spending an accumulation of almost two decades in jail and prison as a result of more than two dozen charges and four sentences.  The time away from his family was devastating.  He is now reaching back to help others just like him.