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A Winnipeg charity is dedicated to helping men after they come out of the correctional system to show them there is hope after prison.
"Future Hope is a non-profit, charity organization, and we've been around for 24 years now," says Next Step Coordinator at Future Hope, Kim McIntyre-Leighton. "Our main reason for existence is to help men who are leaving the federal correctional system, and helping them reintegrate into the community after being incarcerated."
On top of offering men help with getting ID's and set up with a doctor or job, Future Hope has two houses for transitional living, where men can live with one another as they move toward independence.
"We work with the guys on a one-on-one basis. It's whatever they feel could benefit them best. We also have a peer support group that they meet with weekly, so the men have peer support in the group amongst themselves. We do some personal development, and then there's a sharing portion of it."
One of the men currently living in a Future Hope house is Mario Trunzo, who has been in and out of the correctional system for over two decades.
"It's less stressful than getting out and trying to find your own place to live," says Trunzo. "You have no record of living anywhere in the community before, so it makes it hard to get into your own place."
Trunzo says that even being in prison for one year can leave people disoriented about how many things have changed.
"The big thing I find is that not only is there support from the other guys in the house, but it's a safe place and a stable environment. It's a place where you can internalize what you're going through. When you've spent a long time incarcerated, you lose a lot of reflection on what society is all about."
Trunzo says that McIntyre-Leighton is one of his biggest supporters.
"Honest to God, my life for the past 27 years has been in and out. I finally made a conscious decision that I wanted to change my life this time. I'm going on 7 years of sobriety, and a lot of it has to do with Future Hope and the support group every week, and living in one of the houses."
People interested in volunteering, supporting, or finding out more about Future Hope can find it on their website.