From Lifers to Leaders
Design phase: seeking partners, a pilot site, and funding. Programs are not yet active.
The ask: a small, independently evaluated Prototype Pilot.
Lifers Hope Foundation
A California nonprofit built from the inside out by people who have lived the system.
Founded by Arthur Agustin
He lived the system and now works in behavioral health.
Led by people who have lived it
Formerly and currently incarcerated people, their families, and affected communities shape the organization.
Different because it is whole
Most reentry programs fix one piece. We connect careers, housing, savings, ownership, and support.
He didn't just survive the system. He studied it, mapped it, and designed the alternative.
Meet Arthur Agustin
From San Quentin and Pelican Bay to USC graduate and behavioral-health professional.
Lived experience
Two California prison terms (CDCR) became the foundation of his life's work.
Academic training
USC Master of Social Work graduate. March 2026: presented FVRC at the USC Phi Alpha Annual Research Symposium as a pre-implementation capstone proposal.
Current work
Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW), California Board of Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatric Social Worker, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
"My journey was a crucible where suffering forged a profound sense of meaning. It is my deepest aspiration to ignite this possibility for every soul touched by incarceration — to help them transform their past into a powerful future."
— Arthur Agustin, Founder
Team and Advisors
Led by lived experience, supported by academic review and independent oversight.
Arthur Agustin
Founder
Lived the system; USC MSW.
Dr. Suzanne DeBenedittis
Greenerway Associates
Reviewed the New Beginnings model that informs this work.
Fiscal Oversight Officer
Independent CPA
Oversees pilot funds. To be named at launch.
Independent Evaluator
Doctoral-level researcher or university partner
Independent of Lifers Hope. To be confirmed.
Board members and advisors will be listed here as they join.
Turn Reentry Into a Pathway
From a revolving door to a pathway to sovereignty.
At least $445B per year in estimated costs to governments and families (PPI, 2026).
Build the careers, homes, savings, and ownership that turn reentry into a pathway to sovereignty.
Why this mission
Mass incarceration is systemic, not personal failure. Release alone doesn't fix it: people return to the same barriers with no job, home, or savings.
What the mission means in practice
Careers
Paid training and apprenticeships with living wages.
Homes
Stable, affordable housing participants help build.
Savings
A share of every paycheck, with credit-building.
Ownership
A real stake through homeownership and shared governance.
Who we serve
People preparing for release, returning citizens, and their families, shaped by those who have lived it.
Not a liability. An untapped reservoir of talent and determination.
From MC-3 to Journeyman to Ownership
Five stages, each one paid, each one building on the last.
MC-3 pre-apprenticeship
Starts on day one of release, with no gap.
Participants earn an OSHA 10 safety certification, learn construction basics, and are paired with a young adult aged 21–25 in a Unity Protocol mentoring pair.
Selection
Top graduates are chosen to build the village.
They are paid workers from the day they are selected, with placement confirmed by the apprenticeship partner.
Union apprenticeship
Participants learn on the job in electrical, solar, drywall, roofing, masonry, and rainwater systems.
Eligible build hours are designed to count toward apprenticeship requirements, subject to partner approval.
Journeyman
Completing journey-level status is the milestone, with wages that scale from entry level to journeyman rates set by California prevailing-wage determinations.
Ownership and leadership
Graduates become eligible for homeownership and join the Community Builders Cooperative.
They govern the community and mentor the next group.
Proposed framework. Depends on pilot authorization, partner approval, and site and financing confirmation.
What Participants Earn, Save, and Own
Wages grow, savings build, and ownership follows.
Entry-level apprentice
Preliminary target, CA DIR 2024–2025
Journeyman level
Varies by trade, county, and agreement
Of every paycheck saved
Into a designated savings or trust account
Illustrative savings
A 3-year apprenticeship at entry-level wages could build about $12.5K–$16.2K in savings.
Projection: 10% of entry-level wages × 2,080 hours/year × 3 years, before wage progression.
The path to a home
Save
10% of every paycheck builds in a trust account, and credit-union membership starts early.
Down payment
Trust fund savings become the down payment on the participant's unit, with eligibility at journey-level completion.
Mortgage
The remaining balance converts into a mortgage that builds credit.
Stay affordable
A Community Land Trust keeps the home affordable.
A graduate who leaves keeps their accrued savings, as the plan is designed to ensure.
Participants don't receive this future. They build it.
The Village and How It Gets Built
Freedom Villages Regenerative Community (FVRC): 30 modular homes for 30 participants, built, governed, and owned by its residents. Not a halfway house. Not a shelter.
Semester 1: Pre-apprenticeship
30 formerly incarcerated adults and young adults (all 21+) earn OSHA 10 certification and start mentoring pairs.
Semester 2: Homes and solar
Participants build the first modular homes and install solar systems.
Semester 3: Water and food
Rainwater capture and permaculture beds are installed, aiming toward food and water independence.
Semester 4: Governance
Participants graduate as founding residents and community governors.
Built on four pillars
Living-wage careers, stable housing, savings and credit-union accounts with trust fund savings that become a down payment and convert into a credit-building mortgage, and community ownership.
Who holds authority
A resident-led Community Circle, designed to hold final authority over program design, budget, and partnerships.
Proposed design. Solar, food, and water targets are subject to site feasibility and pilot validation.
The Residential Training Camp: manufacturing, solar, permaculture, rainwater capture, Community Circle, and community dinner.
Why We Believe This Approach Works
Each piece is grounded in published evidence, together forming an integrated pathway.
62% / 71%
Rearrest rates: 62% within 3 years and 71% within 5 years among people released in 34 states (BJS, 2021).
$4–5 saved per $1
Education pays back: reduced incarceration costs in the first 3 years after release (RAND, 2013).
Proven peer models
Work-based reentry works: Delancey Street Foundation, Homeboy Industries, and the Center for Employment Opportunities (evaluated by MDRC in "More Than a Job").
Note: Our pilot targets are benchmarked on these programs. They are targets, not demonstrated results. See Sources & References for full citations.
In Their Words
The people closest to the problem lead the solution.
What the senior panel said at the USC Phi Alpha Research Symposium
"Such transformational and impactful mission and vision! Thank you for your leadership and work with such underserved population with your heart and soul. Bravo!"
Senior panel, USC Phi Alpha Research Symposium, March 2026
"Really impressive, feasible project! All the best with this work."
Senior panel, USC Phi Alpha Research Symposium, March 2026
"Beautiful ideas and this is possible! Thank you Arthur."
Senior panel, USC Phi Alpha Research Symposium, March 2026
Share your story with us at members@lifershopefoundation.org.
Learning From Delancey Street
A self-built, self-governed community operating in San Francisco since 1971.
How it started
Founded in 1971 by Dr. Mimi Silbert and John Maher, a formerly incarcerated man, with 4 residents and a $1,000 loan. Within 2 years, residents bought their first building.
How it works
Residents teach each other ("Each one, teach one"), run their own businesses, and receive no government funding or paid professional staff. Most stay about 4 years.
Where it is now
Headquartered at 600 Embarcadero in San Francisco, with centers in Los Angeles, New Mexico, New York, and South Carolina. Residents built and managed the 370,000 sq ft San Francisco complex, completed in 1991.
More than 18,000 graduates (self-reported).
Photo: Delancey Street Foundation, San Francisco (delanceystreetfoundation.org).
The Prototype Pilot
The proof before the village.
Builder-Founders
3 former Lifers + 3 young adults aged 21–25
Modular showcase homes
Built to union standards
Total pilot horizon
Build, public showcase, independent evaluation
Independent evaluation
Outcomes measured against pre-specified definitions
What we will measure
85%
Job retention
$20–$26/hr
Living wage target
Entry-level apprentice (CA DIR, 2024–2025)
≤15%
Rearrest within 12 months
100%
Housing stability
If it works, we scale. If it doesn't, we learn.
These are targets, not results. An independent evaluator will report on every measure, including any shortfalls.
What Happens After You Say Yes
The clock starts the moment the anchor MOU is signed.
Month 1: Launch
Sign MOU, retain counsel, start zoning review and land-trust setup.
Build
6 Builder-Founders seek apprenticeships; 2 showcase homes built to union standards.
Showcase
The 2 homes are presented publicly.
Month 12: Evaluate and decide
Independent evaluation completes; Phase II (30 homes) is decided only after it.
Note: timing of middle stages to be confirmed with partners.
What It Costs
Several funders share the cost, so no one carries the full weight.
Phase I budget
Subject to pilot scope and site confirmation
Estimated cost per home
Preliminary. Excludes land, site work, and permits
Cost in context
Figures are preliminary and cover different cost categories, so this is not a direct comparison.
Key Risks and How We Manage Them
Delays (site, zoning, partners)
Confirm site, zoning, placement, and interim housing before enrollment; no commitment until the anchor MOU is signed.
Funding shortfall
Multiple funders and an independent CPA oversee funds; scope is set to the confirmed budget.
Participants leaving
Mentoring pairs, behavioral-health support, and paid work from selection.
No expansion happens until the evidence says it should.
What We Need to Begin
Funding, five partners, and one signature.
Phase I funding
12 months, 6 Builder-Founders, 2 showcase homes, and independent evaluation.
Five partners, each with a defined role
Site and land partner
Pilot site, zoning, and interim housing.
Apprenticeship and labor partner
Registered apprenticeship pathway and selects the first 6 Builder-Founders.
Pre-apprenticeship and reentry partner
Runs the MC-3 pre-apprenticeship program that feeds the pilot.
Funder and evaluator
Pilot funding and independent evaluation.
Fiscal oversight officer
Independent CPA who oversees pilot funds.
Each partner role will be formalized in writing before launch.
The Next Step Is Yours.
You are not funding a program. You are funding the evidence that changes policy.
The design is complete. The institution is incorporated. Phase I needs $500K–$1M and one signed MOU to begin.
Want to join or support our members? members@lifershopefoundation.org
Be Part of the Path From Lifers to Leaders
Whether you have lived the system or want to change it, there is a place for you.
How to join
Email us
Write to members@lifershopefoundation.org
Tell us about you
Optionally share if you are justice-involved.
Tell us how to help
Describe how you want to support us.
Ways to contribute
Give
Fund the Phase I pilot: agustina@lifershopefoundation.org
Partner
Offer a site, apprenticeship, reentry, evaluation, or fiscal role.
Share your voice and skills
Lend your experience, expertise, or network.
Membership is not program enrollment, and programs and intake are not yet active. Sharing your background is optional. Every message gets a follow-up. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Transparency & Disclosure
Every important statistic and claim is labeled with one of four categories. These are never interchangeable: A TARGET is not a FACT. A PROJECTION is not EVIDENCE.
What You're Viewing
- A research-informed blueprint and proposed framework, ready for pilot
- Design-phase concepts built on Delancey Street Foundation, Homeboy Industries, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), and MDRC
- Complete in design, ready to launch once authorization and funding align
- The participant ownership pathway, where trust fund savings become a down payment that converts into a mortgage to establish credit, is a design-phase concept; its legal and lending terms are still being developed
What's Not Yet Active
- No programs are currently operational
- No participant intake or services are currently available
- No formal partnerships or institutional commitments are finalized unless established through written agreement
🔵 FACT
Externally verified data from BJS, Prison Policy Initiative, CA LAO, and CA DIR
🟢 EVIDENCE
Published research from RAND Corporation and MDRC
🟡 PROJECTION
LHF cost model, savings projections, and wage trajectories
🎯 TARGET
Pilot outcome goals LHF intends to achieve and independently measure
Sources & References
Every external statistic in this proposal traces to one of the sources below.
🔵 FACT
Incarceration & recidivism · Durose & Antenangeli, BJS, "Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 34 States in 2012" (2021). 62% rearrested within 3 years; 71% within 5.
Population & system-wide cost · Prison Policy Initiative, "Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2026" (2026). Nearly 2M incarcerated; at least $445B annually.
Cost breakdown · Prison Policy Initiative, "Following the Money of Mass Incarceration 2026" (2026). About $27.7B paid by families.
California incarceration cost · CA Legislative Analyst's Office, "How Much Does It Cost to Incarcerate a Person?" (2025-26 Budget). ~$127,800 per person per year.
Wages · CA Department of Industrial Relations, general prevailing wage determinations (2024–2025), issued twice yearly.
🟢 EVIDENCE
Correctional education ROI · Davis, L. et al., RAND Corporation (2013), "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education." $4–5 in reduced incarceration costs per $1 invested.
Peer program benchmarks · Delancey Street Foundation, Homeboy Industries, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), and MDRC, including MDRC's "More Than a Job" (2012).
⚪ CONTEXT
Federal reentry funding · U.S. Department of Labor, RESTART Initiative, FOA-ETA-26-17 (FY2026 round closed April 15, 2026).
All LHF cost figures (~$18K per participant, $80K–$120K per unit) are preliminary internal planning estimates to be validated through the pilot budget.
Liberate, Not Incarcerate. Build Homes, Not Prisons.