Getting Out and Staying Out

Since its founding, GOSO has served over 10,000 young men who have been impacted by the justice system, partnering with them to further their education, obtain meaningful employment, and achieve emotional well-being. During this time, GOSO participants have consistently maintained a recidivism rate under 15%, as compared to the national average of 67% for the same demographic. Since 2013, GOSOWorks, our employment development program, has placed over 600 participants in wage-subsidized jobs. Approximately 70% of GOSOWorks interns are hired within 6 months of completing their internship. In collaboration with the New York City Department of Education, GOSO hosts an on-site High School Equivalency program for our participants. We also provide on-site vocational training to our participants, including OSHA 30-Hour Construction and Security Guard training. SAVEStand Against Violence East Harlem (SAVE), the violence prevention unit embedded within Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO), is committed to preventing gun violence and building a culture of non-violence to bring peace and economic development to East Harlem. SAVEs work is guided by the principles of Cure Violence, an evidence-based model that seeks to address community violence through a public health lens. Our catchment area includes the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Thomas Jefferson, James W. Johnson, and Robert F. Wagner NYCHA Housing Developments.Since 2016, SAVE has performed over 400 violence interruptions. SAVE was also tapped by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice to serve as Social Distancing Diplomats to help enforce social distancing in our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. This helps to keep NYCs Black and brown residents safe from coronavirus while also avoiding encounters with the NYPD that could quickly escalate. Our SAVE team also distributed thousands of meals and packs of personal protective equipment to GOSO and SAVE participants, their families, and East Harlem residents during the pandemic. GOSOWorksGOSOWorks, our most popular program where participants are prepared to acquire employment and are placed in internships subsidized by GOSO. ReEntryGOSOs Re-entry Program keeps incarcerated and detained young men connected to GOSO. Through court advocacy, we help young men avoid incarceration and lengthy sentences, keeping families and communities intact. During a participants sentence, we communicate with them and their families, keeping them connected and easing their transition back into the community upon their release. Once back home, we provide mental health supports, educational resources, and employment training to help them avoid further incarceration. The effects of GOSOs holistic services speak for themselves: our participants have sustained recidivism rates at or below 15%, an incredible achievement considering the annual rates of 67% among young men of a similar age group nationwide.