The Next Level of Freedom

A reliable car is the difference between coming home and moving forward.

Reentry Wheels gives people returning from incarceration the transportation they need to reach work, family, and a stable life. Your support makes this possible.

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Smiling man with tattoos holding car keys while sitting in driver's seat of a black car because of Reentry Wheels.

52%

16%

Steady employment cuts the odds of returning to prison from 52% to 16%. A reliable car is often what makes that job possible.

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, drawing on the Safer Foundation study.

Why Transportation

The missing link to successful reentry.

Someone comes home ready. They find a job. Then they discover the bus doesn't run to the worksite at 5am, the interview is 40 minutes away, and parole check-ins don't reschedule. Where transit is thin, transportation becomes the number one obstacle to meeting the terms of release. Most reentry programs treat it as a side service: a gas card, a bus token, a single ride home. We made it the mission.

35,000
people released from California prisons each year (CDCR)
1 in 3
struggle to get a car for work or emergencies (Vera Institute)
27%
unemployment rate for formerly incarcerated people (Prison Policy Initiative)

The Program

Three things, one mission.

Most reentry programs treat transportation as a side service. We make it the whole focus and pair every vehicle with the training and support to keep people on the road.

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Apply for program
Man with curly hair smiling while driving a car wearing beige shorts and a t-shirt with seatbelt on.

Reliable vehicles
A dependable car, matched to the person and their individual needs.

Black car parked next to a line of orange traffic cones on pavement during daylight during defensive driving class.

Training and safety
A defensive driving course, completed before the keys are handed over.

Palm trees lining a sunny street in Los Angeles with a clear blue sky in a suburban neighborhood.

Referral support
Connections to the other programs that support the road home.

Jason Holland and Rae Ann standing beside the car she donated, holding the keys and a bouquet of flowers

"The amount I would have received for trading it in was small. The opportunity it could provide for someone rebuilding their life was priceless."

Rae Ann

Generous Donor

Our Story

It started with one donated car.

When Jason Holland came home, Rae Ann gave him a car she no longer needed. That one act let him hold a full-time job, rebuild his relationships, and meet every condition of his release. Years later, he built Reentry Wheels so the same thing could happen for someone else.

Read our story

How it works

From application to car title

  1. Apply

    Complete the application. You can start as soon as you're home.

  2. Interview & assessment

    Our team meets with you. The process typically takes no more than 30 days.

  3. Meet the requirements

    A valid California license (we can help) and a defensive driving course.

  4. Get on the road

    You become the registered driver of a reliable vehicle, carrying your own insurance.

  5. Six-month program

    Maintain the vehicle and give back with community service rides.

  6. The title is yours!

    Complete the program and the vehicle becomes yours to keep, for good.

    Program complete

Get Involved

More than one way forward.

Donate

Put someone in the driver’s seat, monthly or one-time.

Donate

Apply

Coming home and need reliable transportation? Start your application.

Apply now

Volunteer

Lend your time and skills to keep people moving forward.

Contact us

Partner

Parole offices, reentry orgs, and vehicle donors; let’s work together.

Contact us