Fortune has hope in humanity

Stanley Richards, president and CEO of The Fortune Society, said he discovered himself and his potential when he was in prison.

Rather than feeling destined to cycle in and out of jail as he once did, Richards said, he made a commitment to helping others see themselves in a new light.

“I wanted people to see that they could have a life of contribution and they could reintegrate into their family,” he said. “And Fortune Society gave me the opportunity to do that.”

Founded in 1967, the Long Island City-based nonprofit helps individuals involved in the justice system reenter society by offering a range of services to meet their needs, from housing to education to food distribution.

For Richards, Fortune’s mission is about both seeing the best in people and providing them with the necessary resources to start believing it and living it themselves.

“It’s all centered on the hope in humanity that we buld as a community,” he said.

Fortune’s model of assistance is one that believes there is “no wrong door for entry.” Decades ago, Richards said, the group realized that referring people elsewhere for assistance diminished the likelihood that they would receive the help they need.

“We have just continuously built out our services so that if somebody walks in our door and all they want is a safe place to be, a meal, they can get that,” he said. If that person also needs housing, to see a counselor or simply wishes to find community, he added, they need look no further than Fortune.

The group crafts its services in response to the need it sees. Richards said about 25 percent of the people it serves do not have stable housing; hence, its housing portfolio has grown significantly — Fortune houses more than 1,200 people on any given night and has several projects in the works to build more affordable and supportive units, Richards said. Fortune also has partnered with New York City Housing Authority developments to support people living there.

Its food services also have grown, with many participants living in food-insecure communities. In addition to its distribution sites in other boroughs, Fortune serves three meals a day at its LIC headquarters. Richards said the group served more than 119,000 meals last year alone, and more than 1,300 people with its food distribution.

Fortune also is expanding its satellite capability to support more people with mental health and drug treatment services. More than 51 percent of people incarcerated in city jails have a mental health diagnosis, Richards said, with serious illnesses coming in at about 20 percent.

Its Supervised Release program, which provides community-based supervision and support to individuals with pending cases, also has grown, he said.

“All of our services must be built on what we hear from our participants, what we see as emerging needs, and we need to build it in a way that is sustainable and provides excellence,” Richards said.

Fortune’s services help people get back on their feet after incarceration, but the agency’s investment in them does not stop there. Richards said the group makes a lifetime commitment to participants, who are encouraged to come back and pay it forward after they build the life they want.

“That might just be showing others that it’s possible, change is possible,” he said. “Life after incarceration and trauma could be one of contribution and healing.”

Richards’ career with Fortune started when he worked as a counselor in 1991. He worked for what is now called the Hunter College Center for Community and Urban Health from 1997 to 2001 before returning to Fortune as a senior director.

He served as first deputy commissioner of programs and operations at the city’s Department of Correction in 2021 and came back to Fortune the following year as deputy CEO. He began his current role in 2024.

His journey in the criminal justice field was one of fulfillment and contribution, he said, in which people affected by the system can see that there are possibilities for them after incarceration. On his way to and from work every day at the DOC, Richards said, he passed the yard he used to walk in during his own solitary confinement.

“We can both choose to and work on ensuring that we are contributing members to society,” he said.

Richards recalled the story of a man whose life changed after he participated in Fortune’s gun diversion program. The man, who was gang-affiliated and had been arrested for carrying a gun, was not confident that change was possible for him.

He then enrolled in one of Fortune’s leadership initiatives attached to the program, which required participants to come up with a project to make amends for harm that they may have caused to the community. They opted to give back to seniors by bringing a juice bar to a nursing home.

“He went through this whole experience and began to believe that life could be different for him,” Richards said.

The man said it was the first time he received positive feedback about who he is, what he did and what could happen for him, Richards recalled. After completing an internship with Fortune, the man now works in its violence intervention program as an outreach specialist.

“He is just somebody who, when he shares his story, you can see the transformation and you can see the impact, when you have somebody who goes from hopeless to hopeful,” Richards said.

Fortune is an organization that “walks the talk,” he said — roughly half of its staff either are justice-impacted, in recovery or deal with a behavioral health issue.

Not only does the agency assist formerly incarcerated people with reentry, but it strives to change the carceral system itself. Fortune advocated for the 2022 Less Is More Act, which reformed the state’s parole violation system. Richards said he himself is a beneficiary of the state’s Clean Slate Act, which seals certain criminal records after a waiting period.

He also cited as a recent victory the city’s Fair Chance for Housing Act, which went into effect in January to prohibit housing discrimination based on criminal history.

“It is not sufficient for us to be the safety net when people come home or to be diverting people so they don’t get caught up in the system,” Richards said. “We must work further upstream and try to change the system that disproportionately impacts so many Black and brown people and so many underresourced communities.”

Fortune also addresses some policy issues, including alternatives to incarceration and human services, in a coalition with other organizations.

Richards said the group makes some of its biggest impacts through its creative arts program, collaborating with MoMA PS1 to bring art and poetry from its participants to the rest of Queens. Astoria’s Socrates Sculpture Park is another of its partners.

The group celebrated its 12th annual Arts Festival, which included live music, poetry, dance, art-making workshops and a healing garments exhibition, at its home base last Saturday.

“When I think about Fortune Society and the work that we’re doing, it is a community of healers centered on the humanity of who walks through our doors,” Richards said.

The agency also welcomes community collaboration, from donations to volunteering to fundraising. One may learn more about its work at fortunesociety.org.

“We want people to be in partnership with us and be in community with us so that we can bring about the change that we envision for this world,” Richards said.

Another part of his vision for the organization is people-first leadership, or making sure staff members feel supported and can grow, too. Their own wellness translates into meaningful relationships with the people they serve, he continued.

“We don’t ask how much time you served, we don’t ask what crime you committed. We only ask, who do you want to be?” Richards said. “And we work with them to become who they envision themselves to be.

“It is not without setback, but it’s not the setbacks that we talk about that define them. It’s your willingness to stay in the fight. It’s your willingness that when you are in the valley, you can begin to see the mountain.

“It is your willingness to be vulnerable, transparent and have authentic connections. And that is true for our staff, and that’s true for our participants.”