Peer/Mental Support

Peer support is built on the principle that someone who has been through reentry holds knowledge that a clinical professional, however well-trained, cannot. Every one of Rooted's peer navigators carries lived experience of incarceration, and the relationship is intentionally consistent — community members aren't passed from one new face to another.

Often that relationship begins before release. Our peer navigators work with the cultural groups inside Washington's DOC facilities, where people preparing to come home can be referred to us — so the connection is already in place on day one rather than built from scratch in the chaos of reentry. That early link is central to how we walk alongside someone through the whole arc of reintegration.

The program does two things at once. First, peer relationship: a BIPOC-led, lived-experience-grounded space to be heard, including weekly restorative circles — usually on Zoom, with periodic in-person gatherings to share a meal or simply be in the same room. Second, navigation: when someone needs clinical mental health care, our peers help them find culturally appropriate providers, navigate insurance or sliding-scale options, and stay alongside through intake.

The program is intentionally distinct from clinical therapy. Where clinical care is needed, Rooted refers; where peer support is what's needed, we provide directly.

Mental health support that is actually accessible to BIPOC reentry-impacted community members — not gated behind insurance, intake processes, or clinicians who don't share lived context.