USA Today: By ex-felons, for ex-felons: Re-entry that works

In this article, Lottie Joiner touches on the backgrounds of the founding members of The First 72. She also conducts a thorough review of our transitional housing facility, which she describes as "[sitting] on the corner of a street in the heart of New Orleans, just across from the parish jail and a few blocks away from the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. The three-bedroom home is lightly decorated: a pull-out couch hugs a wall in the den, a table for four is planted in the middle of a small kitchen. Each bedroom has two beds and a closet with donated clothes sits between them. Many of the men who seek out the First 72+ show up wearing their orange, prison-issued jumpsuit. As the rain pounds heavily outside, inside a man watches television while another finishes a meal. The house offers a much-needed embrace to men who have been marginalized by the criminal justice system — the hurt and the forgotten. It provides a sense of comfort and security for those needing a safe space to rest."