Chainless Change is a nonprofit organization featured in The Miami Foundation’s State of Black Philanthropy. The organization houses programs and services encouraging self-sufficiency in recovery. Their work is rooted in advocating for and supporting individuals impacted by the criminal justice system in order to strengthen the fabric of our entire community. Through mentorship, workforce development, educational/vocational training, and scholarships, as of 2021, Chainless Change had a presence in 13 detention facilities and an 87% participant retention rate, supporting second chances for men and women across our community.

The organization offers mentorship, workforce development, educational and vocational training, and scholarships while supporting second chances.

Its mission is to create opportunities by fostering community partnerships with individuals, employers, educators, service providers, and housing communities. In addition, the organization cultivates growth on the journey of recovery by addressing short and long-term needs, in conjunction with nurturing and readying individuals to approach self-sufficiency and reentry with the skills necessary to succeed.

M At Work sat down with the CEO and Founder of Chainless Change Inc., Marq Mitchell, to shed light on the recovery process and the work being done by his organization. Marq serves on the Broward County Reentry Coalition and the Advocacy Committee with Broward Partnership for the Homeless Initiative’s Imagine Broward Council. He is also a trained Recovery Peer Support Specialist who is a South Florida Peer Advisory Group member.

“Recovery support services is a menu of the supports that are necessary for folks to stabilize themselves and live self-fulfilled lives… we work collaboratively to co-create plans that address all of those areas that have had a negative impact on that person’s life.”

We asked Marq what drove him to build a recovery organization servicing those whose encounters with the criminal justice system have had a gripping impact on their lives.

Marq and the members of his organization are passionate about the “disproportionate impact [of mass incarceration] on black and brown folks, especially those with a history of trauma, addiction, and mental health conditions.”

Growing up, Marq was directly impacted, “when I look at my friends and people that I knew in different chapters or phases of my life, I realize, for the most part, all of them have dealt with arrest and all of the barriers that come with that for the remainder of their life.”

This organization was a personal mission for Marq, who turned his negative experiences into a positive result, using it as inspiration, but why?

“I don’t think there is anything magical about me. Just somewhere along the way, I continued to fight and met people who were willing to support those efforts.”

Mitchell’s goal is for the community to use the resources and relationships at their disposal to advocate for a just society.

“We need in-kind resources to support people transitioning out of jail, and when they come home, they have nothing. Sometimes things are sitting at folks’ houses like clothing and hygiene products that will make a HUGE difference in the lives of those we serve.”

His outlook for growing Chainless Change also touches on the heartstrings. So often, during reentry, people don’t have anywhere to turn, and they have tarnished relationships with loved ones that need to be rebuilt. Mitchell is looking to build onto the prospect of assisting with housing opportunities.

“I want our organization to be a one-stop-shop for folks to come in when they are leaving incarceration or after an arrest and be able to access whatever they need to stabilize themselves. One of our areas that we can certainly improve on is housing options for people… We want to be able to employ our folk and then give them access to health resources that they will need to live self-fulfilled lives, but also to center wellness around all of their actions.”

The M Network team applauds the work Marq has started in our community.   It’s one more example of turning hard lessons into opportunities for people who are desperate for change. 

To learn more about, Chainless Change, click here.