Hotlines

In this episode of Hotlines on Colorado Radio for Justice - produced once again with Remerg, Colorado’s reentry resource hub - hosts Seth Ready (CRJ) and Darren Smith (Remerg) sit in conversation with Dr. Stephen Hartnett, director of the CU-Denver Prison Education Program, and program graduate Taveuan Williams. Hartnett articulates how prison college programs operate across Colorado facilities; how incarcerated people can enroll by contacting their facility liaison; and what’s new in prison education. Williams, who recently came home from prison, shares how enrolling in the Prison Education Program after over 10 years incarcerated boosted his confidence and became a “key to every door” after release. If you’re curious how to navigate FAFSA and Pell Grants, or how to navigate the hurdles of reentry into education, this episode is for you.

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

University of Colorado-Denver Prison Education Program: https://clas.ucdenver.edu/communication/cu-denver-prison-education-program 

Remerg – www.remerg.com

Meet Matt Wood, Director of Behavioral Health Services for the Colorado chapter of Volunteers of America (VOA). On this episode of Hotlines, Wood sits down with co-hosts Herbert Alexander (CRJ), Allen Browning (Remerg) and Darren Smith (Remerg) to examine the intersection of housing and behavioral health for people navigating reentry from prisons and jails. Wood, a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 20 years experience in shelters and hospital systems, explains why he shifted to nonprofit work after seeing people cycle back through crisis care without stability. He outlines VOA’s housing and shelter programs and highlights CORE (Rapid Re-Housing and Re-Entry), a partnership with parole and probation that prioritizes getting formerly incarcerated people housed first.

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:
Volunteers of America-Colorado – https://www.voacolorado.org/
Remerg – www.remerg.com

This is a rebroadcast of Hotlines originally recorded in June 2025. Listen in as Corinthiah Brown, founder of The Don’t Look Back Center, talks with CRJ's Seth Ready and Remerg's former Executive Director, Carol Peeples, about Brown's work with women, including trans women, in the reentry and addiction recovery. And there's more: The Don’t Look Back Center also provides services for men.

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

The Don't Look Back Center - https://thedontlookbackcenter.org/
Remerg - www.remerg.com

This week on Hotlines, it’s Life-Line Colorado. Hosts Jeff Wise (Remerg) and Chris Fazzari (CRJ) interview Bruce Mingo, Director of Reentry Initiatives for LIfe-Line, a nonprofit that offers reentry support, safe and transitional housing, job placement, and counseling for impacted and at-risk Coloradans. Bruce shares his experiences first as a participant in Life-Line programs, leading up to his current leadership role in the organization. He also articulates Life-Line's A B C D job progression, which he says can help anyone achieve their dreams. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

Life Line: https://life-linecolorado.org/

Remerg – www.remerg.com

Hosts Herbert Alexander (CRJ) and Allen Browning (Remerg) interview Taylor Mack, Regional Program and Cafe Manager for Change Please Coffee, a social enterprise nonprofit and commercial coffee company whose profits fund paid barista training and employment coaching for people experiencing homelessness and other barriers, including incarceration and substance use. Mack describes the program’s focus on concrete job skills and customer service, plus “Employment Essentials” soft-skill training, resume and job application support, and shadow shifts with partner employers, alongside a supportive workplace that offers a longer runway and second chances. He explains how the community comes together to make this workforce development a reality, and he invites interested participants to connect with Change Please. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

Change Please: https://changeplease-us.org/pages/about-us 

Remerg – www.remerg.com

CRJ host Herbert Alexander and Remerg Executive Director Darren Smith welcome guest Darrell Dimler, Outreach and Program Coordinator at STEP Denver. Dimler shares how he came to STEP after years of substance use and felony probation, then outlines his outreach work connecting people to treatment centers, probation offices, shelters, and other community resources while helping residents secure IDs, vital documents, phones, resumes, and jobs. This conversation with Dimler highlights how employment and financial savings can build stability, and identifies key barriers like documentation, felony stigma, and technology. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

STEP Denver: https://stepdenver.org/ 

Remerg – www.remerg.com

HOTLINES this week continues a 2-part conversation with Andy Magel, founder of the Denver ESE Collective. "ESE" stands for Employment Social Enterprise, and now Magel dives deeper as he talks with CRJ producer Ryan Conarro and Darren Smith, Executive Director of Remerg: how does ESE intersect with reentry from prison or detention? How can employers be ready to support an ESE model? If I’m looking for an ESE job placement, how do I navigate disclosing my lived experience in the criminal-legal system? All this, and much more, as Magel shares his dream for Denver: to be  known as a city where real workforce support is readily available to anyone and everyone who’s looking for it.

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:
Denver ESE Collecrive: www.denverese.org
Remerg – www.remerg.com

Meet Andy Magel, founder of the Denver ESE Collective. "ESE" stands for Employment Social Enterprise, and in this episode of Hotlines, the first of a 2-part conversation, Magel sits down in the CRJ studio with producer Ryan Conarro and Darren Smith from Remerg to explain what an ESE is: a business where creating and supporting jobs for people facing barriers is the primary mission, blending enterprise with social purpose. Magel draws from his early experiences volunteering at a Portland rescue mission, and his current work at Village Exchange Center, to reflect on both obvious and "quieter" employment barriers, from background records and housing instability to childcare, transportation, and changes in workplace technology. Magel says that the ESE Collective is working to build ecosystems of support that restore confidence alongside paychecks. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:
Denver ESE Collecrive: www.denverese.org
Remerg – www.remerg.com

HOTLINES this week continues a 2-part conversation with the Community Economic Defense Project of Colorado. CEDP staffers Christina Garcia and Genie Ruiz take a deeper dive into the range of services the organization offers, including their mobile “Just Bus” and nuanced counseling and support for housing issues and eviction navigation. The CEDP team is hosted by CRJ producer Herbert Alexander and by Darren Smith and Allen Browning from CRJ’s partner organization, Remerg. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:
Community Economic Defense Project – https://cedproject.org/ 

Remerg – www.remerg.com

Meet Christina Garcia and Genie Ruiz from the Community Economic Defense Project. In this first of a 2-part conversation, Garcia and Ruiz share a snapshot of the services CEDP provides, including their focus on advocacy for people who lack - or who are trying to hold on to - stable housing, and supporting economic equity more broadly in Colorado. They look back at their organization’s roots in the housing crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, and they articulate their core value of meeting people where they are - or, as they put it, “being where the work is.” The CEDP team is hosted in the CRJ studio by producer Herbert Alexander and by Darren Smith and Allen Browning from CRJ’s partner organization, Remerg. 

Hotlines is a production of Colorado Radio for Justice (CRJ). www.radioforjustice.org

Sites & resources mentioned in this episode include:

Community Economic Defense Project – https://cedproject.org/ 

Remerg – www.remerg.com