Justice-involved individuals are familiar with second chances. And sometimes, they're the ones responsible for giving someone else that second chance at life.

That’s what happened on August 16, 2024, when former Boston Avenue participant Michael Thrasher noticed an older woman sitting at a bus stop. He witnessed her pass out and stop breathing from a what looked like an overdose. Thrasher pulled from his pocket Naloxone, a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, then administered two doses of the nasal spray and provided chest compressions until emergency responders arrived at the scene.

“Michael’s quick actions saved this woman’s life,” said Le Shon Aiken, facility director at Boston Avenue. “Later that month, during Boston Avenue’s Overdose Awareness Month program, some of our participants practiced skits on recognizing signs and symptoms of possible overdose and how to use Naloxone spray correctly. We conduct this program annually.”

Boston Avenue is a male community reentry program facility in San Diego, California, and licensed by the California Department of Health Care Services as a Level 3.1 Drug and Alcohol Care facility. In addition to helping participants navigate reentry through the Go Further program, the facility offers a variety of mental wellness-focused programs, such as intensive alcohol and drug treatment, drug awareness, men’s depression awareness, anger management, yoga, relaxation techniques, art expression, exploring trauma and more.

One of the newer programs is Mental Health First Aid, which trains participants to identify and understand the signs of addiction and mental illness in others, much like Michael was able to do that day in August. CoreCivic Community facilities like Boston Avenue provide participants with a degree of freedom for work and other approved activities, while still providing the structure and support needed to facilitate successful reentry.

“We focus on helping participants secure long-term, sustainable employment. Our employment placement specialist and program facilitators help with resumes, job leads and conducting mock interviews, and we have a clothing closet to provide interview clothing for those with limited resources,” said Aiken. “We also collaborate with the employment placement specialist at CoreCivic’s Ocean View facility to share employment opportunities since our facilities are so close to each other.”

Boston Avenue also provides participants with opportunities to volunteer at a local senior community center. Aiken explained that these opportunities allow participants to give back while also helping develop employment skills.

“Some participants don’t have a lot of employment experience, so volunteering lets them practice being on time, taking direction from others, working as a team, and other employment soft skills,” said Aiken.

The facility’s support makes an impact, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria honored the facility in 2022 with a Certificate of Recognition for “Outstanding dedication to senior residents in Council District 4, with food, housing and financial resources.”

Facility leadership also recognizes exceptional employees regularly through Employee of the Month, Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Year awards. Aiken is quick to praise his team for their efforts in helping participants successfully reintegrate.

“The people who work at Boston Avenue truly care about our mission and are committed to helping our justice-involved population leave Boston Avenue with the tools they need for success and the knowledge of when to use them appropriately,” he said.