Carrie Kurtz has announced she is stepping down next month as director of the Lancaster County Reentry Coalition.
Kurtz has headed the coalition since its creation in early 2020. In an email to One United Lancaster, she said she reached the decision to resign after “much thought and prayer.”
Her last day will be Oct. 11, officials at the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority confirmed. The coalition’s office has been an agency within the authority since September 2022; prior to that, it was housed at Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County.
The coalition brings together dozens of agencies and programs that work with the County Prison and other state and county agencies to help those released from prison or jail establish stable, law-abiding lives. Services may include assistance in securing employment or housing; referrals for healthcare, mental health care or treatment for substance abuse; food assistance; legal aid; enrollment in education and job training programs, and so on.
Kurtz said she’s proud of what the group has accomplished. Among its efforts since its inception, she said, it has:
- Conducted research, including a major survey of County Prison inmates, to identify local needs, service gaps and best practices
- Developed a strategic plan and a continuum of care for clients from incarceration through reintegration into the community
- Created training for providers and the community on the needs of reentrants
- Created resource maps and lists
- Strengthened the reentry system, eliminated gaps and partnered with other local coalitions and statewide reentry organizations.
At one point, the coalition was able to field two reentrant case managers; unfortunately, those positions had to be eliminated when funding ran out, Kurtz said
Kurtz’ office is part of the redevelopment authority’s Human Services Department, and Kurtz reports to the department’s director, Deb Jones, who also heads the Lancaster County Homeless Coalition. The work of the two coalitions overlaps and having both within the same department allows for coordination and a holistic approach, redevelopment authority Executive Director Justin Eby said shortly after the arrangement was finalized.
The Reentry Coalition is guided by a steering committee made up of representatives from member organizations. The committee’s chair, Tim Shenk, praised Kurtz and said she will be missed.
“We will be forever grateful for everything you have done,” he said in response to Kurtz’ email. He noted that it is the redevelopment authority, not the committee, that funds Kurtz’ position and is in charge of hiring a successor.
Eby said he and Jones have met with the committee’s leaders to discuss next steps.
(Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Friday, Sept. 27, to add comments from Kurtz.)
