When Leroy Harris returned to Ypsilanti after serving 35 years of a life sentence he received as a juvenile, the only thing he wanted to do was teach children in his community how to avoid making the same mistakes he had. While working with a Michigan Works! Southeast case manager to launch a business focused on that goal, he found a life-changing resource in the occupational therapy offered by the Ypsilanti nonprofit Life After Incarceration: Transition and Reentry (LAITR).

"LAITR has been such a powerful force in my life," Harris says. "Coming out of prison, I still felt a little like I was shut off from the world, and now I’m a better, more confident person because of the work that they do."

As both a LAITR client and a board member, Harris has been able to spread positivity and education as he’d hoped to upon his release. He worked alongside LAITR’s occupational therapists and board staff to help develop the organization’s Supportive Hands in Neighborhood Enhancement (SHINE) work program, and became one of the program’s first employees. He says that his work with LAITR, particularly when asked to join the board, was "a game changer" because it gave him "something to look forward to." It also prompted him to work outside of LAITR with other organizations like Friends In Deed and the Washtenaw Dispute Resolution Center.
Doug CoombeLAITR client and board member Leroy Harris.
According to LAITR’s website, Ariana Gonzalez founded the organization with the goal "to provide every single justice-impacted person" with "opportunities to engage" in their communities. Through individual and group occupational therapy, life skills workshops, and opportunities for employment and engagement, LAITR aims to guide returning citizens toward their goals, whether starting a business or managing anxiety.

"Incarceration impacts everyone," Gonzalez says. "Most people know someone that has been incarcerated, and regardless of if you're directly or indirectly impacted, incarceration and everything that comes before and after it impacts the larger community. I feel like we are giving people attention, support, and guidance – sometimes for the first time in their lives."

Eric Martin is still waiting to start his occupational therapy with LAITR, but is currently working as part of the SHINE team, whose members are paid to clean up litter in what LAITR's website describes as "high-needs zones in Ypsilanti Township." He says LAITR was the first organization he found after his release to offer programming that seemed like "an appealing and good fit" for his personal needs. 
Doug CoombeSHINE team member and ApeGoat Elevation owner Eric Martin.
"It was a breakthrough for me to learn about and get connected with LAITR," Martin says. "It was a big, heartwarming welcome that I got from them. I’ve been trying to change my life and change my path, I just want to help out and give back to the community where my kids grew up."

In addition to his work with SHINE, Martin also runs his own custom embroidery business as part of his clothing brand, ApeGoat Elevation. He says the business' name comes from both his past of needing to "be the gorilla" and do whatever he could to support his family, and "elevating from that life and that person who I was and turning it into something positive." While Martin was pursuing his business before beginning his work with LAITR, he says working with LAITR staff and other SHINE team members gave him good insight on how to connect with his customers and keep ApeGoat Elevation moving forward.

"Being a part of this program and watching how they conduct themselves gave me a blueprint of how I should run my business," Martin says. "It’s not the same business, but seeing how they operate encouraged and inspired me to expand and build my brand."
Doug CoombeLAITR therapist and Vice President Elyse Boyle.
Both Harris and Martin say there have been many times throughout their lives where they felt they weren’t heard by others, whether before, during, or after their incarceration experience. They say LAITR has provided the resources and attention they need to be successful in their day-to-day lives.

For example, Harris worked with LAITR therapist and Vice President Elyse Boyle to learn how to create promotional materials for educational events he has conducted in the community, as well as how to accurately read nutrition labels. He says these things may seem insignificant to some, but that they were invaluable to someone coming from a situation like his. He says he’s particularly grateful to be provided this service "without fear" from his therapists.

"These ladies come to your home and guide you through everything. There ain’t nothing like being heard," Harris says. "You have people that come home from prison, and there are resources that help them get clothing and housing, but not simple things like how to shop for groceries or use a computer. Nobody’s doing that work like LAITR is."
Doug CoombeLAITR founder Ariana Gonzalez.
Gonzalez says LAITR's occupational therapy is built on as "a blend of science, incorporating our education with our creative artist side, that allows us to take the science and individualize it for each person." She says LAITR's method of trauma-informed care goes far beyond talk therapy and group counseling. 

"It’s not necessarily what we do for people, rather how we work with people," Gonzalez says. "We help people live their purpose through helping to create healthy habits and routines that support the lives they want to live."

Having just celebrated its fourth birthday in October, LAITR is constantly growing and evolving. From integrating a LAITR pilot program in a Missouri Department of Corrections Community Supervision Center in 2020 to collecting the stories and creative projects of clients and other formerly incarcerated individuals through a podcast called "Voices of the Underheard," Gonzalez and her team hope to continue to make a positive impact for Ypsilanti community members who are very frequently underrepresented and misunderstood. 
Doug CoombeSHINE team members Willie Percy, Lewis Printup, Leroy Harris and Eric Martin cleaning on Ecorse Road.
"To see them working harder than many people I know towards self-growth and living a purposeful, meaningful life is what is fulfilling to me," Gonzalez says. "To be the flashlight in the dark guiding someone along their path is really fun and meaningful to me."

Harris says LAITR has helped him "become human again."

"I would actually encourage anybody coming from incarceration to be involved in this program," he says. "You get this idea in your mind that what you’re doing is something that really matters not just to us, but to other people."

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Photos by Doug Coombe.