BROKEN Release day
The day before
Confirm release date, time, and gate location with the facility. Lodging booked. Supervision reporting instructions reviewed.
Met at the gate
Two volunteers, screened and trained
Pickup is done in pairs wherever possible, following our two-person and public-first safety rules.
A simple welcome
No crowd, no cameras unless the person asks, no speeches. “You are not alone.”
Release portfolio check
State ID, Social Security card, birth certificate, release and supervision papers, and medications. We note anything missing for the 48-hour plan.
Food, phone, clothes, boots
A meal first. An activated phone programmed with the supervision office, Broken Champions, and an emergency contact. Clean clothes, then steel-toe boots bought with him, in his size, his choice.
Straight to safe lodging
Unless release papers require reporting first. Every step is logged in the case file.
The First 72 Hours: the mission
Freedom Bag · $195
$195
Freedom Bag
Duffel, an activated smartphone with the first month of service, charger, hygiene kit, notebook and pens, and $50 cash in the front pocket.
Clothing Bag · $118
$118
Clothing Bag
Backpack, underwear, socks, jeans, work jeans, a hoodie or jacket, and a belt. Out of state-issue in the parking lot.
6 · 24 · 48 · 72 hours
Checkpoint
6 hrs
6 hours
What must be true: Picked up · fed · safe bed · knows how to get around
What the team does: Gate pickup, meal, lodging check-in, map the route to the supervision office and appointments
Checkpoint
24 hrs
24 hours
What must be true: Phone working · understands supervision requirements · 7-day plan · hygiene essentials
What the team does: Review reporting schedule, curfew, testing, travel limits, prohibited contacts, required programs and fees; first report if required
Checkpoint
48 hrs
48 hours
What must be true: ID plan in motion · employment pathway started · risk check
What the team does: BMV visit if needed, resume and job leads, quiet check on risky contacts and places, next contact scheduled
Checkpoint
72 hrs
72 hours
What must be true: Needs inventory started · next housing step lined up · the person knows the team is real
What the team does: Inventory housing, food, transportation, work readiness, health, recovery risk, family, and compliance. Set the 30-day follow-up.
Note
Benefits start early.
We help with Medicaid / Healthy Indiana Plan and SNAP applications inside the first 72 hours where possible. The Kitchen Box and a first week of groceries cover food until benefits begin. Housing matters even more now that Indiana law makes sleeping on unauthorized public land a misdemeanor.
Follow-up at 30, 90, and 365 days
After the first 72 hours: after release, support comes from Broken Champions staff and case follow-up. We measure stability, not perfection.
30 days · stabilization
30
Stabilization
- No homelessness, no immediate violations
- Phone, transportation, and routine in place
- Supervision requirements clear
90 days · momentum
90
Momentum
- Some consistent income
- Stable housing and routine
- Fewer crises, less isolation
- Budgeting basics; careful family reconnection
365 days · transformation
365
Transformation
- Stable housing and income
- Steady compliance
- Credit and future goals forming
- Voluntary discipleship and leadership for those who want it
Note
What we offer today, and what we don't yet.
Dream Teams serve people while they are incarcerated. After release, support continues through Broken Champions staff, the pickup team, and scheduled follow-up. A larger post-release team model is being explored but is not offered yet.
One complete release
Indiana estimates based on 2025–26 regional lodging averages, the 2026 IRS mileage rate ($0.725/mile), Indiana BMV and vital-records fees, and current retail prices.
$1,628
Cost per person
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Freedom Bag (activated phone, hygiene, $50 cash) | $195 |
| Clothing Bag | $118 |
| Kitchen Box + first week of food | $109 |
| Steel-toe boots | $85 |
| ID & documents | $45 |
| Haircut, lunch box, laundry | $56 |
| Bicycle, lock, lights, helmet | $240 |
| One week of safe lodging | $350 |
| Volunteer lodging + fuel | $430 |
| Total, one person | $1,628 |