release mates departure lounges
In our lounges we offer hot and cold drinks for people being released and families or friends who may be collecting them. As an independent charity, we source donations of food, clothes, toiletries and pre-loaded sim cards to give to prison leavers. Our team is trained to help people set up benefit claims, help getting to public transport links, begin communication with probation, and other complex issues which people face on the day of release.
The Release Mates departure lounges are a place of positivity, hope, and belief, for people to visit for support upon release. Our lounges are manned by people who have left prison and gone on to achieve pro-social change. We share our stories with people using the lounges so that they too can go on to follow our example.
We place emphasis on treating people in the lounge with warmth and compassion which they may not have been shown before and leave each person with contact details and a release handbook, should they need to speak to us in the future
If you would like to discuss opening a Release Mates Departure Lounge at a prison, please contact us here