Our Mission

 

We support women and girls impacted by incarceration to recognize their full potential, restore their lives and discover new possibilities.

10th Annual #freeHER March & Rally in Washington, D.C.

2016

 

Syrita Steib founded Operation Restoration in 2016 to build a community and support system for women impacted by incarceration through education.

OR hosted the first Bridging the Gap Symposium “Real Women, Real Voices” in partnership with The Ladies of Hope Ministries. OR started building relationships with local and national organizations, and Syrita began participating in speaking engagements across the nation.

 

2017

 

OR wrote and successfully advocated for the passage of LA Act 276 (Ban the Box), prohibiting public colleges in Louisiana from asking about criminal history in admissions. Louisiana was the first state to pass this historic legislation. Since then, OR has worked with partners to replicate and pass Ban the Box in Maryland (2017), Washington state (2018), Colorado (2019) and California (2020).

OR received its first grant (from Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans) to host a third Bridging the Gap Symposium in 2018: A Conversation with Directly Impacted Girls and the Justice System, which featured girls involved in the legal system. 

OR opened The Closet, a boutique-style atmosphere with a full range of gently used clothing, accessories and shoes offered to women at no cost.

2018

 

Operation Restoration absorbed the Louisiana  Prison Education Coalition (LPEC) founded by Annie Phoenix, and started education programming in prison and in the community.

The College in Prison program offers for-credit bachelors of arts degrees inside the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in partnership with the School of Professional Advancement at Tulane University. In 2020, there are 40 students enrolled in the program.

The Women’s First Clinic  supports formerly incarcerated women starting at early literacy through their high school equivalency, and to meet any other educational goals. 

Operation Social Services was launched to provide wrap-around support services to women and girls across all OR programs.

OR’s staff grew from two to six full-time employees.

 

2019

 

Operation Housing was launched to create housing opportunities and connect formerly incarcerated and legal system-involved women with housing resources.

The Unlock Higher Ed Coalition was launched by OR to coordinate national efforts to remove barriers to higher education for formerly incarcerated people. 

Operation Restoration launched the CANScantStand campaign to repeal Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature Statute (CANS), a law that disproportionately targets the LGBTQ community, particularly transwomen of color.

OR’s staff grew from six to 14 full-time employees.

 

Today

 

After two years of OR participating in the Louisiana Legislative Task Force on Women’s Incarceration, the group wrote a 22-page report that was submitted in May 2020 to Secretary LeBlanc, the state Legislature and the Louisiana Supreme Court

Operation Restoration absorbed the Safety & Freedom Fund, a revolving community bail fund organized to post bonds for New Orleanians who cannot afford to pay for their freedom, and to provide education and advocacy to end money bail in Louisiana and beyond. 

OR opened Hope House NOLA, an innovative transitional housing program for formerly incarcerated women, in collaboration with Ladies of Hope Ministries. 

OR opened its new main office at Benson Tower and grew its team to include seven board members, 17 staff members and 18 contractors.

Every program and initiative we undertake is led by formerly incarcerated women and designed in response to community needs.

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Testimonials

 

“I knew I needed assistance in several areas of my life.”

“The moment I walked into the office, it was much more than a support group. They allowed me to enter with open arms, without judgment, and with a genuine interest in helping me move forward. I could have been lost in a system; I could have been another statistic. But God has allowed me another chance.”

— Lashuanda Phillips

“You welcomed me when I wasn’t welcoming myself”

— Deidre Thomas Pierre

Incarcerated for nearly 26 years, Deidre Thomas Pierre’s life took a powerful turn when she discovered Operation Restoration’s College-in-Prison Program at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.

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“That’s long enough to do a college degree”

— Ms. Sandie

At the end of a week that could easily lead to despair, Sandie offered us a ray of hope. Sandie was released from prison on Mardi Gras day after 22 months of incarceration with minimal educational programming. Sandie was excited to hear OR’s Women FIRST Clinic helps prepare women to take their HiSET (GED).

Learn more about OR’s Women FIRST Clinic …

Meet our team.

Special Thanks

TO OUR SUPPORTERS

 
  • United Way of Southeast Louisiana

  • Gayle Benson & the New Orleans Saints

  • NoVo Foundation

  • Ascendium Education Group

  • Public Welfare Foundation

  • Baptist Community Ministries

  • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

  • Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company

  • The Bail Project

  • National Bail Fund Network

  • Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Fund

  • Coalition for Public Safety

  • Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

  • ECMC Foundation

  • Greater New Orleans Foundation

  • CEO Works

  • Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation

  • RosaMary Foundation

  • Kresge Foundation

  • Keller Foundation

  • Laughing Gull Foundation

  • Roy & Patricia Disney Family Foundation

  • Borealis Philanthropy

  • Neo Philanthropy

  • WellSpring Foundation

  • Louisiana Public Health Institute

  • Laughing Gull Foundation

  • GPOA Foundation

  • American Association of University Women

  • Butler Family Fund

  • La Societe Des Dames Hospitalieres Donor Advised Fund

  • Foundation for Louisiana

  • Black Voters Matter

  • New Profit

  • Grantmakers for Girls of Color

  • Art for Justice

  • Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety

  • National Science Foundation

  • Chan Zuckerberg Advocacy

  • Lumina Foundation   

  • Reform Alliance   

  • Dollar General Literacy Fund

  • James M. Cox Foundation

  • Southern Equality Fund

  • Greater New Orleans Funders Network - Criminal Justice Action Table

  • Lupin Foundation

 

Operation Restoration is proud to be a United Way of Southeast Louisiana SNAP E&T Program Partner

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