AUGUST 21, 2026 LABOR A ray of Ypsilanti sun-SHINE MARIE Groundcover contributor LAITR’s (Life After Incarceration: Transition & Reentry) SHINE (Supportive Hands In Neighborhood Enhancement) team receives high praise for its visible efforts to beautify the Ypsilanti community. LAITR was reportedly created in Washtenaw County in 2021 with the intent of studying the efficacy and feasibility of utilizing occupational therapy (OT) in a post-incarceration reentry program. According to a book called Exploring Health Care Careers Vol. 2 (2006), “An occupational therapist uses everyday activities to help clients learn or relearn the skills necessary to care for themselves and to live more satisfying lives … [helping people] address the psychological and social dimensions, as well as the physical … [helping them] develop skills necessary to care for a home and family, pursue an education, or maintain employment … through activities designed to exercise clients’ muscles and stimulate their minds.” SHINE evolved from a LAITR OT workgroup, to a mentorship program with a LAITR client and, according to their website, SHINE transitioned to a new separate non-profit called DM19 as of August of this year. The SHINE crew are the people in purple vests around the Ypsilanti area who may be seen shoveling snow or clearing trash from the streets and parks, visibly making a difference everyone can appreciate in the community. Among this crew are some very talented athletes, artists and scholars. All of them also would be wonderful candidates for a high quality OT approach to reducing recidivism risk. Several scholarly publications describe utilization of OT techniques with formerly incarcerated individuals as a relatively new area of research; however, the approach shows promise as it appears to complement and/or fill gaps seen in current mainstream approaches to working with formerly incarcerated people. According to "Exploring Health Care Careers Vol. 2," OT techniques often incorporate treatment strategies such as assistive technology, ergonomics, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, psychosocial development and role playing to improve daily functioning. On the surface, LAITR’s OT approach to a post-incarceration reentry program is grounded in solid theoretical and research-proven methods to reduce recidivism. The concept of adding or including OT services has the potential to address gaps in existing multidisciplinary approaches to working with people involved in the justice system, by complementing the work of social workers, judges, physicians, employers and case workers. Several participants have been involved with SHINE for about a year, and have transitioned from homelessness. Many participants also feel the work has made a positive impact on their lives. However, according to LAITR’s website, SHINE offers primarily short-term contracts for 90 days at a time, which some participants explained makes earning enough to promote stability challenging. Some SHINE participants are in Break time during a SHINE workday this winter. Photo submitted by Shihab Jackson. leadership positions. These positions report slightly higher hourly wages, and participants in leadership positions describe themselves as longterm employees. Both short-term and long-term employees complained the hourly income is not consistent week to week, nor is the pay in line with the local living wage. Some participants feel the income situation is stable; however others continue to report financial insecurity and typical postcarceral hardships. While all SHINE members interviewed gave positive feedback about their work, they didn’t feel LAITR’s services stand out beyond establishing SHINE. One participant explained LAITR didn’t really support a five to 10 year plan, or give specific supports for participants 65 and older. Therefore, the OT offered appears to have not have been made available at a level to truly help its participants reach their full individualized potential nor is OT expected to be a part of the SHINE experience in the near future. Regardless, during interviews this month for Groundcover News, local GROUNDCOVER NEWS 7 SHINE workers on the highway retrieving a tire that was discarded for safe disposal. Photo submitted by Shihab Jackson. leadership from the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority (YDDA), City of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, praised and expressed very high satisfaction with the work of the SHINE team. All three offices also expressed the intention to continue contractual work with SHINE. According to Elize Jekabson, YDDA Executive Director: “The owner of Sweetwaters Ypsi, Paul, is a DDA Board Member and he had met Ariana (LAITR founder and president) and they talked about the SHINE team and what they were doing in the township. Paul thought it would be a great idea to bring it to the DDA. “We are now in our second year and there has been a lot of positive response. We’ve been able to grow the DDA program by adding a snow plowing pilot program and downtown dumpster enclosure maintenance to the contact. “We have had such good feedback on the program from business owners and residents. The SHINE team members love their jobs, and love working in their community. The SHINE team has made a huge impact for the DDA districts in Ypsilanti. We hope to see the SHINE team continue well into the future and become a model to communities across the state. “Our [annual] contract requires a set amount of hours to be split monthly between the Downtown District, the West Cross District, Riverside Park, and Frog Island Park. The SHINE team provides litter cleanup in all these areas. During winter months, they are contracted to keep the sidewalk ramps free of ice and slush because we always had a problem with those becoming inaccessible and dangerous. Also, in the winter months the team is contracted to run a sidewalk snow blowing pilot program in the Downtown District, plows graciously donated to us by Puffer Reds. This program ensures that Downtown remains safe and accessible even after storms.” According to a recent interview with City Manager Andrew Hellenga, Ypsilanti “has contracted with SHINE for three clean-ups: Water Works Park to Water Street, Railroad to Forest Bridge Dam Rd. and Bell-Kramer … When I heard about SHINE I thought it was a fantastic program. A chance for individuals [with a history of homelessness and incarceration] to get back on their feet. If you give people a chance they usually surprise you.The intent is to help with housing, and meaningful work experience to graduate to another job … DPW has hired felons … We are considering future contracts with SHINE.” According to Laurie Lutomski, Community Resource Coordinator with Ypsilanti Township, they have a twoyear contract with SHINE, which runs from 2024-2026, and they are expecting a contract renewal proposal in the near future. “We aren’t their employer; we contract with them like waste or lawn mowing. We want to know how much does it cost and what is happening. We expect the SHINE team to continue. They have adapted a model which includes reacclimating after incarceration and, since there is a need for services, we thought it was a great fit. “Since its inception two years ago they have expanded from five to 10 sites. The number of sites has expanded, but not the number of hours. But now that the areas are clean, it’s not as hard to maintain. Residents absolutely love it and think it’s absolutely fabulous. People on the crew get stopped and people give them positive feedback about what a great job they do. “They also got a grant in 2025 and they put in a pollinator garden this see SHINE page 13
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