Adams administration invests $1 million in its Visiting Family and Assistance Program to help justice-impacted women and families through post-incarceration transition

NEW YORK — The New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) celebrates a $1 million expansion in their Visiting Family and Assistance Program (VFAP), which helps strengthen family connections during detention, improves family reunification outcomes, and facilitates long-term stability and wellbeing for women incarcerated at the Rose M. Singer Center (RMSC) on Rikers Island.

The investment comes from the mayor’s Women Forward NYC initiative, which has already helped VFAP serve hundreds of incarcerated women since the program’s inception in 2022, along with their children and interim caregivers.

“This investment is another step forward in advancing our goal of building a safer, more affordable city for everyone,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Helping strengthen these familial bonds will produce more stable communities, benefiting all New Yorkers — as we continue to make New York City the best place to raise a family.”

VFAP, administered by The Osborne Association and Hour Children, initially focused on counseling, advocacy concerning the New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), family visit coaching, and reentry planning for incarcerated women and their families. The new financial outlay expands services, enabling greater access to housing assistance, parenting education, mental health and employment support, caregiver resources, internet access, and transportation between RMSC and other locations.

“We are proud that our administration under Mayor Adams continues to invest in justice-impacted women and their families,” said Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Director Deanna Logan. “By prioritizing holistic reentry planning, we can support the programs that help women rebuild their lives, address systemic challenges, and restore their family cohesion.”

Reentry services – along with alternatives to incarceration and supervised release programs – are part of the city’s growing strategy on crime reduction through prevention and community reintegration. The Community Justice Reentry Network (CJRN), formerly known as Jails to Jobs, launched in 2018 with $10 million in annual funding to support 5,000 justice-involved individuals through job training, higher education, and transitional employment.

By 2024, funding for the program was increased to $26.3 million, enabling an expanded provider network to serve 8,000 individuals annually with comprehensive support, including discharge planning, transportation from prisons to community-based service providers, and a range of educational and therapeutic resources.

With programs like VFAP now beginning the reentry planning during incarceration, justice-involved women and their families are better-positioned for a smooth transition back into community — a critical foundation for post-incarceration success, lower recidivism, and community safety.