Restorative justice circles for families

Youth & Family Digital Circles — for families in conflict over screen time, social media use, or online behavior

Cyberbullying Response Circles — facilitated sessions for families dealing with a bullying incident

Reunification Circles — for families reconnecting after a parent's incarceration, treatment, or extended absence

Family Conflict Circles — for general communication breakdown or ongoing tension

Ongoing Family Support Circles — monthly drop-in circle for families who've completed a program

[Learn more about Family Circle →]

Building a Real Path Forward After Incarceration

Pepstart Reentry supports individuals returning to their communities after incarceration, helping them rebuild stability, find opportunity, and reconnect — with practical support, not just good intentions.

What We Offer

Reintegration Support: Guidance navigating the first critical steps after release — housing, ID, benefits, and community connection.

Workforce Development: Job readiness support and connections to employment opportunities for returning citizens.

Mental Health Support: Access to mental health resources to support the emotional and psychological demands of reentry.

Restorative Justice Circles: Facilitated circles that support accountability, healing, and reconnection with family and community.

Connection to Recovery & Harm Reduction Services: Direct access to Pepstart's broader recovery and harm reduction support for those who need it.

Why Pepstart Reentry Is Different

One ecosystem — reentry support connected to recovery, workforce development, and mental health, not siloed

Led with real, ground-level experience in harm reduction and community outreach

Serving the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region

Focused on long-term stability, not just release-day paperwork

Part of the Pepstart Ecosystem

Pepstart Reentry works alongside Pepstart's other programs — including Pep Testing Solutions, Pepstart Recovery, and Pepstart Family Circle — so returning citizens and their families can find every form of support in one place.

[Get Support / Connect With

PEPSTART

Returning citizens teach youth to repair vehicles. Verified single mothers drive them.

THE PROBLEM

For many single mothers exiting welfare-to-work and workforce development programs in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, a job offer is not the same as a job kept. Without reliable transportation, getting to work, picking up children from childcare, and holding a consistent schedule becomes the barrier that undoes months of progress.

THE SOLUTION

01

Donate

A vehicle is donated by a dealership, auction, or private donor.

02

Rehab

A qualified returning citizen leads youth trainees (ages 14–18) through the repair, under supervision, up to safety and inspection standards.

03

Drive

A verified single mother receives the keys, insured and road-ready.

THREE POPULATIONS, ONE PROGRAM

— Instructors: vetted, qualified returning citizens with hands-on auto repair experience

— Trainees: at-risk youth ages 14–18, referred by a school, juvenile-justice program, foster care agency, or community organization (guardian consent required)

— Recipients: single mothers active in a verified workforce program, referred by a caseworker

WHO WE SERVE

— Single mothers with at least one dependent in the household

— Active participants in a verified workforce program (TANF, SNAP E&T, WIOA, or a state welfare-to-work program)

— Candidates referred directly by a caseworker or program administrator

— Candidates with a job or job offer that transportation would let them keep

WHY PEPSTART

Pepstart Inc. has worked in harm reduction and community outreach in the DC/MD/VA region, connecting workforce development, recovery support, and emergency response into one continuum of care. Keys to Independence extends that work in two directions at once: giving returning citizens a platform to lead and mentor, and giving youth a hands-on trade skill — while still solving the transportation barrier that undoes progress across every other program.

THE ASK

Funding supports vehicle acquisition and towing, parts and labor for safety certification, instructor compensation, youth stipends, title and registration assistance, and program administration. We welcome funding partnerships, in-kind donations of vehicles or shop space, and referral partnerships with workforce agencies.

Contact us for a detailed budget and partnership proposal.

Pepstart Inc., d/b/a Pepstart — Washington, DC / Maryland / Virginia — info@pepstart.org

A Community for Recovery, Reentry, Work & Ownership

Reset. Recover. Rebuild. Rise.

Pepstart Village is a community-based initiative of Pepstart Inc. created to help people move from

instability toward recovery, independence, meaningful employment, entrepreneurship, and community

connection.

We believe a person's past should not determine their future.

Whether someone is returning home after incarceration, rebuilding after substance use, experiencing

housing instability, or simply looking for a pathway toward a more stable life, Pepstart Village is designed to

provide the support, structure, resources, and opportunities needed to take the next step.

More Than a Place to Stay

Pepstart Village is built around the idea that housing is the beginning—not the destination.

Our model brings together:

� Peer recovery support

🏠 Recovery-oriented transitional housing

� Reentry navigation

💼 Workforce development

🎓 Education and life-skills training

💰 Financial empowerment

🚀 Entrepreneurship

🛍️ Community business development

🏡 Permanent housing preparation

🌱 Community leadership and ownership

We connect people with the resources and relationships they need to build a sustainable future.

Our Approach

Pepstart Village follows a simple progression:

STABILIZE

Create safety, structure, and stability.

1

RECOVER

Build healthy routines, recovery supports, and positive relationships.

REBUILD

Develop employment, financial, educational, and life skills.

CREATE

Explore entrepreneurship, leadership, and opportunities to contribute.

OWN

Work toward permanent housing, economic independence, business ownership, and long-term community

investment.

Our goal is to help people move from survival to stability—and from stability toward opportunity.

Recovery & Reentry Together

Pepstart Village recognizes that recovery and reentry often overlap.

Someone returning from incarceration may also need housing.

Someone leaving treatment may need employment.

Someone rebuilding their life may need identification, transportation, financial education, and a supportive

community.

Instead of making people navigate those systems alone, Pepstart Village works to connect them through

one coordinated pathway.

Our recovery environment emphasizes dignity, accountability, peer support, personal responsibility, and

connection to community resources.

Where clinical or medical services are needed, residents can be connected with appropriately licensed

providers and treatment organizations.

Building Economic Opportunity

Pepstart Village also focuses on what happens after stability.

2

Through workforce development and entrepreneurship programming, residents and graduates can develop

skills that lead to employment, business creation, and greater financial independence.

Our long-term vision includes a Pepstart Community Business Network where entrepreneurs can:

Build businesses

Create jobs

Mentor others

Refer business to one another

Participate in community markets

Develop partnerships

Strengthen the local economy

We believe that economic empowerment is an important part of sustainable reentry and recovery.

From Residents to Leaders

Pepstart Village isn't designed to keep people dependent on services.

It is designed to help people become participants, contributors, leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors, and

eventually owners.

Residents can have opportunities to participate in community meetings, peer leadership, volunteer

activities, entrepreneurship programs, and the Pepstart alumni network.

As people progress, their lived experience can become a source of leadership and service to others.

Our Long-Term Vision

The vision for Pepstart Village extends beyond one residence.

We envision a growing network of:

Recovery Residences

Reentry Services

Workforce Programs

Business Incubators

Community Marketplaces

3

Entrepreneur Networks

Shared Community Resources

Permanent Housing Pathways

Community Ownership Opportunities

Together, these pieces create an ecosystem where people can find not only a place to recover, but also a

pathway to work, stability, independence, and ownership.

Our Belief

We believe everyone deserves an opportunity to rebuild.

We believe recovery is possible.

We believe reentry should be about more than returning home—it should be about having a pathway

forward.

We believe employment creates opportunity.

We believe entrepreneurship creates possibility.

We believe community creates strength.

And we believe that when people are given the right combination of support, accountability, opportunity,

and ownership, they can change the direction of their lives.

Welcome to Pepstart Village.

A place to reset.

A community to recover.

A pathway to rebuild.

An opportunity to rise.

Pepstart Village

A Program of Pepstart Inc.

Reset. Recover. Rebuild. Rise.

Support for the Whole Journey — Not Just the Crisis

Pepstart Recovery connects individuals and families to real, ongoing support as they work toward lasting recovery. We meet people where they are — no judgment, no wrong door.

What We Offer

Harm Reduction Services: Meeting people where they're at, with practical tools and support that reduce risk and save lives.

Recovery Support: Guidance and connection to resources for individuals working through substance use recovery, at every stage.

Workforce Development: Helping people in recovery build skills, find employment, and regain stability and independence.

Mental Health Support: Connecting individuals to mental health resources as part of a whole-person approach to recovery.

Emergency Response: Rapid, compassionate response for individuals in crisis, including support through the Pepstart Reviving Cart.

Why Pepstart Recovery Is Different

One ecosystem, not scattered services — harm reduction, recovery, workforce, mental health, and emergency response all in one place

Built on real, on-the-ground experience in harm reduction and community outreach

Serving the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region

Focused on dignity, consistency, and long-term outcomes — not just crisis moments

Part of the Pepstart Ecosystem

Pepstart Recovery works hand-in-hand with Pepstart's other programs, including Pep Testing Solutions and Pepstart Family Circle, so people and families can access every form of support they need in one place.

[Get Support / Connect With Us →]