Second Chances: SVdP Hosts Senate Event on Re-entry Solutions
Phil Conley didn’t grow up expecting to speak in the halls of the U.S. Senate. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, he lost his father at a young age and saw violence, drugs, and incarceration shape nearly every aspect of life around him.
“The only thing I saw getting rewarded was violence,” he said. “A lot of people that worked in my family sold and used drugs. I didn’t see many people working jobs or going to church.”
But on May 13, Conley flew from Des Moines, Iowa, to Washington, D.C., to do something he never imagined—share his story with congressional staffers in the Russell Senate Office Building and advocate for the re-entry programs he now helps lead as a mentor.
The event, hosted by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (SVdP), Catholic Charities USA, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, and the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology, brought together more than two dozen Senate staffers and policy stakeholders to hear firsthand how second chances, when rooted in faith, dignity, and real support, can break cycles of incarceration and restore lives.
The event was a powerful introduction to SVdP’s growing advocacy presence in Washington, made possible by the organization’s new national office and the recent appointment of Ingrid Delgado as National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. SVdP opened the office in April to advocate on issues related to poverty, homelessness, and the needs of vulnerable populations, including support for faith-based re-entry programs. SVdP is using its platform as one of the largest charitable organizations in the country—serving more than five million people annually through person-to-person assistance, housing programs, food support, disaster relief, and more—to shape federal policy.
Conley’s remarks highlighted not just his own journey, but the importance of lived experience in informing policy. Now a business owner, father, and mentor, he continues to walk alongside others returning home through SVdP’s Immersion Program in Des Moines, a Second Chance Act grant recipient.
Steve Havemann, CEO of SVdP Des Moines, emphasized just how impactful that program has been.
“The state’s average recidivism rate is 45%,” he said. “For our Immersion Program, it’s 18%.”
The program focuses on the first 72 hours after release, providing returning citizens with housing, mentorship, job readiness, and community support.
“Poverty can be a full-time job,” Steve said. “If we want to break cycles, we have to invest in people, not just systems.”
That message reflects SVdP’s Vincentian model. The work of the Society’s more than 90,000 volunteers is built on one-on-one relationships. Whether it’s helping someone return home after incarceration or assisting a neighbor with rent or food, SVdP believes in meeting people where they are, offering support, dignity, and hope without judgment.
The panels brought SVdP’s values to life through powerful, personal testimonies. Johnny Perez, Director of the U.S. Prisons Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, spoke about the lasting trauma of solitary confinement and why humane, faith-led solutions are essential. Courtney Everett, Director of Finance and Development at Saint Louis University’s Prison Education Program, urged attendees to support the reauthorization of the Second Chance Act and shared how education transformed his own re-entry journey.
Conley participated in the second panel, which continued the conversation through lived experience. Carla Anderson (Wiley), now Program Manager at Catholic Charities, offered her perspective on the challenges women face post-incarceration, describing the simultaneous pressures of finding housing, employment, and regaining custody of children. Derek Roberts, founder of Ageless Generations, and Steve Havemann rounded out the discussion with reflections on what’s working and what still needs to change.
“Faith-based organizations like SVdP don’t just advocate from a policy platform. We advocate from lived experience and deep relationships in communities across the country,” said Ingrid Delgado, SVdP’s National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy. “That’s what makes our voice in Washington both credible and urgently needed.”
The message from every speaker was clear: faith-based re-entry efforts work. Panelists pointed to the unique role faith communities play in offering long-term accompaniment, moral clarity, and a sense of hope, especially for those society often overlooks.
These are the kinds of community-rooted, person-centered solutions SVdP advocates for through legislation like the Second Chance Act, through national partnerships, and by ensuring that policymaking includes the voices of those with lived experience.
As SVdP expands its national advocacy, these are the voices it’s bringing to the table.
“If you had told me 15 years ago this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Conley said at the close of the event. “But now I’m living it. And I’m not stopping here.”