Lester Griffin launched The Foundation nearly two years ago in response to his own experiences with the criminal justice system and the support he wished he had as a youth growing up in Vancouver. The nonprofit provides resources for at-risk teens and young adults such as job development skills, mentorship and community service opportunities. It also helps adults recently released from incarceration by providing them free boxes of food, hygiene supplies and access to a team of navigators with lived experience to support their reentry into society.  

The Columbian previously wrote about The Foundation and, more recently, about Griffin’s efforts to open a transitional housing complex in Vancouver in the coming weeks for people released from prison. The Restored Transitional Complex will have 14 beds, a communal living area and aims to provide stable housing for occupants for up to a year. Griffin joins us to share more details, along with Ajay Harnage, a formerly incarcerated individual who hopes to move into the new facility.