Moving Forward
Logene Darby sits in his Harmony House Motel room…
Logene was released from prison on March 4, 2021 and has been living in this motel until he gets his feet underneath him. Logene is part of the D47 program through the state that helps prisoners with mental disabilities.
Through the D47 program, he was placed with a case worker through Professional Consulting Services that has a re-entry program for offenders with special needs. Luckily, they were able to help him with the bills and connect him to part-time work . “I had about 30 dollars to my name when I was released and that ain’t much,” Logene said.
LaWanda Hollister, left, and Logene Darby shovel compost to put in the garden at We the People Opportunity Farm in Ypsilanti on Monday, April 19, 2021.
The garden behind Grace Fellowship Church has an internship program for people who have recently gotten out of prison and are trying to get back on their feet. “When you get out, the hardest thing, I think is finding a place because you don't have no income,” Logene said. “Even though I've got this little job, it's not a full time income. And then with me having so many felonies and stuff like that, it makes it hard to move forward.”
Logene meets with one of his case workers, Emily Hastie at S.O.S. Resource Center in Ypsilanti on Friday, May 14, 2021.
Logene has many case workers through different organizations. S.O.S. Resource Center and other nonprofits provide case workers to speak on their clients’ behalf and connect them with government benefits and other nonprofits. Hastie gave Logene a list of landlords and housing companies that many rent to people with low-incomes or prior convictions.
A calendar hangs on the wall in Logene’s room at Harmony House Motel in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Marked on the calendar are parole board meetings, which Logene attends remotely via video chat.
Logene also has a curfew of 6 p.m. from his parole officer, so he has to get everything done before then. Logene and other formerly incarcerated people sometimes struggle as they transition away from prison life, which operates on a strict schedule.
Logene Darby, left, and Farm Steward Amanda Brezzell prepare the garden by spreading compost at We the People Opportunity Farm in Ypsilanti on Monday, April 19, 2021. Logene works five hour shifts four days a week. He is hoping that having a part time job on his resume will help with future full-time employment.
Logene Darby, center, looks over a car with the help of his friend Richard, left, at a used car lot in Ypsilanti on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Richard does body work on cars and lived next to Logene at the motel in the past. Since being released from prison, Logene had been taking the bus to work, but needed more reliable transportation to make it to his appointments - he ended up purchasing the car.
From left to right: Farm steward Amanda Brezzell, director Melvin Parson, former intern Pony, and Logene relax after work on We the People Opportunity Farm in Ypsilanti on Friday, May 14, 2021. His coworkers at We The People are Logene’s only support system outside of case workers, a parole officer, and his sons’ family.
Logene signs the lease to a room in four person house through Berry’s Rentals in Ypsilanti on Friday, May 14, 2021. Two months after being released from prison, Logene found permanent housing.
“My dad started this business and we lost him 18 months ago. He believed in second chances. So we believe in giving people another chance, and if they screw up, maybe even another one.” said owner Christine Berry. “You never know when one fo those chances his going to stick.”
Logene shops for furniture and appliances for his new home at Value World thrift store in Ypsilanti on Friday, May 14, 2021. Logene purchased sheets, a pillow case and some plates.
Logene opens the door to his new house for the first time in Ypsilanti on Friday, May 14, 2021.
“When I signed the lease and got the keys, it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Logene said.
Logene moves boxes containing his few belongings and new housewares into his new room in Ypsilanti on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
“When I was up at the motel, there was a lot of riff raff going on and I didn’t wanna be around it,” Logene said. “This might be small, but it’s mine.”
Logene spends time with his grandkids Gia, 1, left, and Geoffrey, 4, in Canton on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
All three kids were born while Logene was in prison, and so he likes to spend time with them in his free time. Geoffrey is named after his father and Logene’s son.
Logene’s son Geoffrey, left, stops by his dad’s new place in Ypsilanti on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Geoffrey’s girlfriend’s grandmother lives around the corner.
With Logene being located so close to family, he has the opportunity to see them more often.
Logene sits in the communal living room in his new home in Ypsilanti on Thursday, May 27, 2021. Logene has settled in to his new home - the next step is full time employment so that he is able to pay his bills.
“I feel more at peace with myself now that I got my own place,” Logene said. “Now I just gotta get a full time job, maybe midnights, I love working the midnight shift.”