Interview with Tia Ryans

Remaining Resilient: An Interview With Tia Ryans

By Maggie Allen

Maggie Allen had the pleasure of chatting with Tia Ryans, a member of the Ladies of Hope Ministries (LOHM) Faces of Women Imprisoned program. Once incarcerated, Tia took on higher education and eventually founded her own non profit, F.O.R.T.E. ( Forcing Out Recidivism Through Education ) House, “to provide a healthy and transparent living environment for formerly incarcerated students transitioning through post- secondary education.” Tia is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform, and her journey is a testament to her incredible strength and the passion she feels for others.

Maggie Allen : So tell me a bit about yourself and how you got involved with LOHM.

Tia Ryans : I signed up to be a participant of their Faces of Women Imprisoned. Some people were at different phases, but we touched on storytelling...ways to use our personal story during advocacy efforts; specific asks like monetary support and community support; and public speaking training. Just exercises to get as comfortable with using our own personal experiences, making sure that we were mentally and emotionally healthy to even do that. It was a great experience and a great retreat.

MA : Based on your website, I see that F.O.R.T.E. House was a school project of yours?

TR : It was. My first investor was Rutgers University.

MA : What was it that personally motivated you to found it?

TR : It started as a class project, but going through higher education, we have plenty of those. What stuck out, and kind of made me drawn to making this tangible was the fact that I experienced collateral consequences when it came to housing because of my incarceration. I know there were many people in my class as well, because this class was designed for formerly incarcerated students. So I’d seen many of my peers going through the same felon disenfranchisement when it came to this particular thing, and made it that much harder to focus on higher education.

But we were really determined and persevered. One of my classmates slept in her car, and it was just things like that that made me say, “Okay, if we’re that dedicated and we served our time, why shouldn’t we be rewarded for that in some way?”

So I said, “Okay, I’m going to create a house.” I asked my classmates from the original project to help me, and everyone said no. They were all busy with their own things. No one wanted to help me, so I did it on my own. And I learned so much that way.

MA : That’s great. Yeah, getting access to safe, secure, affordable housing is a major concern for a lot of people.

TR : It is. I know that a lot of people are fighting to get that question of “do you have a prior conviction” removed from applications, whether it be hou sing, school, or work. But there are other questions that hinder you. They might ask for a credit history; I never had credit because I was incarcerated as a teenager. Then they will ask for rental history, which I never had for that same reason.

And even if it hadn’t happened to me as a teenager - if I was incarcerated for, say, five years or a decade, or twenty years - my rental history isn’t relevant anymore.

Credit isn’t credit anymore. Those are all barriers, what I refer to as collateral consequences, because it’s less direct than being sentenced, but no less damaging.

MA: It’s hard enough getting housing even without a criminal record. You need to have steady employment; credit history, as you mentioned...it’s especially difficult in these expensive times.

TR : I know. I went through the mortgage process and I learned how difficult it is very quickly, even for the average potential homeowner.

MA: So do your programs specifically work with college students?

TR : It doesn’t have to be a 2- 4 year colleg e institution; just some form of higher education. If you want to go to a trade school and get certification in plumbing, or learn cosmetology, that’s fine. I’m just trying to promote access to higher education and minimize that intergenerational inability to obtain it.

But you do have to be a matriculating or enrolled college student to reside at F.O.R.T.E. House.

MA : On your website, it says that Rutgers University selected your proposal as part of a competition with other students’. I’d love to know more about that. Why do you think they selected your project in particular for initial funding?

TR: Well, I did have to present it. There was a panel of judges, and everyone did NOT agree with the idea. I think they thought it was kind of outlandish. I thin k some people were intrigued because they didn’t understand the magnitude of barriers you face when it comes to housing.

I did go through a nine month course, and I think that actually influenced people, because they saw how hard I worked. It wasn’t like they were distant; they saw me capitalizing off of the resources they gave me. I tried to build a rapport, and then, when it came time to present...well, for one, I definitely stood out because I was the only woman.

MA : Oh wow.

TR : Yes. And honestly? I think I was the most prepared. I’m not just saying that, either. I definitely was the most thorough. We had a specific amount of time, and on mine, I went over the financials, even creating additional slides because I knew I couldn’t make another time slot for questioning. I wanted to have them ready to answer any questions. I over prepared and passed out F.O.R.T.E. House notebooks, business cards, and information sheets for them to take home. And the judges asked me the toughest questions.

MA: Did they reall y?

TR : It was an all male panel, too. A couple of other people also said that. “Woah, they went crazy on you!” But no matter what they asked, I was very well prepared.

Maybe a little too prepared. People told me they thought the judges went extra hard on m e to see if they could trip me up.

MA : But obviously you persevered.

TR : I did. I really did. When you want something bad enough, you’ll work extra, extra hard for it.

MA : Ab solutely. What are you most proud of, regarding F.O.R.T.E. House?

TR: I think I am most proud of the way we are able to get back to the community. We’re able to be walking, living, breathing clichés. You know, a lot of people see someone who was formerly incarcerated and immediately have this preconceived notion of how we are supposed to look, think, and act. Or they might just see what they know from television. I love the fact that we are able to say, “No, we actually focus on this. We’re wanting to achieve this.”

We’ve become a part of the community; the residents do have to give back by mentoring at- risk youth. And of course we’re giving back by being self- sufficient; we’re minimizing recidivism. All we would give back would be additional debt, if we recidivate. This way, not only can we become tax paying citizens - for people who care about the monetary benefits - but we also get to pay it forward to other people who come behind us.

MA : That’s really great, and I feel like that’s a true hallmark of success. Not just succeeding as an individual, but encouraging others, even in situations unlike your own, to succeed and treat each other with respect and dignity.

TR : Yes, absolutely.

MA : What are your plans to expand and develop new programs over the next couple of years?

TR : Oh my god, yes. F.O.R.T.E. House is designed to be sca lable. That’s why the website says “njfortehouse.” I want an NY F.OR.T.E. House , and a CA F.O.R.T.E. House.

I never saw myself as a person just to run day - to- day operations. I’m the founder, and I want to see expansions. I actually just flew back into town Friday night; I stayed in Texas for almost a week. Texas A&M University invited me out there to talk about F.O.R.T.E. House and see how we could collaborate.

Hopefully sooner rather than later, we can expand there, and further down the road, to everywhere around the United States. I do want the second house to be in Camden, NJ; I feel like it’s really needed d own there. And the garden state is my home state, so I want to get two here before I go anywhere else. It’s definitely exciting.

MA: Here’s a fun one. Did you have any role models prior to this project? Who would you say most inspired you?

TR : There were so many, and everyone was formerly incarcerated, because I looked at them and saw them doing things that I thought could not be done. Being incarcerated, there’s a stigma around you, making you feel like, “Oh, I can’t do this or that.” You know, I interned for Congressman Payne. I didn’t think I could work in a government building, right? So when I started seeing people like Topeka Sam (LOHM Founder and Executive Director), who has done so many things...like, how did she make it to the White House?

I see things like that, and I’m like, “I have to do that.” When I first met Topeka, I told her I had this idea for a house. And she said, “Really? I want to do something similar. I want to find out what Columbia University thinks of it.” So I am almost literally following in her footsteps, if you can believe it. She did it, and I thought to myself, “I’m going to do it.”

Her idea to partner with Columbia University gave me the idea to partner with Rutgers for my house. Then she started Faces of Women, and I said, “You know, people are always coming to me for speaking engagements, and sometimes I can’t do it...I’m going to start my own speakers bureau, just like Topeka did.”

Another person who influenced me was Ivelisse Gilestra, though she’ll probab ly deny it. She is one of the strongest people I know. We have taken two different paths, but there is a spirit in her that I just can't get over. She has this energy; you want to follow in her footsteps, but she also energizes you to create your own footsteps. She’s just so awesome. She’ll deny being my biggest inspiration, but I’m telling you otherwise.

MA: I glean that women tend to face very unique issues, both in incarceration and re - entry. Is there any particular advice you would offer to women who find themselves in your previous situation, who are trying to get their lives back together?

TR: I would caution everyone that it’s not going to be easy. It’s not, but the payoff is so big if you remain resilient. Sometimes when I speak about change, I tel l them, “I’m not asking you to do anything other than what they already do.”

When I was incarcerated, society was seeing the worst part of me. They’d see me fighting and say, “Oh my god, she’s so aggressive and angry!” And now, I still fight, but I do it in a different way. I fight for those women to get out, and for laws to be changed. What some said was my worst part, I made my best part. What used to be a liability is now an asset. Now, I’m not called angry. I’m called passionate.

MA: It reminds me of a lot of work dynamics I’ve seen, where women either get called too passive or too involved and bossy. It’s great to take something that others see as a negative and reframe it in a healthy way, staying true to yourself.

TR: Yeah, at the end of the day, stay true to who you are.

I would also tell people that I won’t ask anything of them that they aren’t capable of. If you get takeout food, you throw the container away after you’ve eaten it. Same with an empty water bottle or the tags on new clothes. I say take what you need out of any situation in life, and throw what you don’t need away, like trash. Everyone can take out the trash; we’re all capable of doing that every day. Just take that idea and apply it mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically in our lives. Throw away what doesn’t serve you, or isn’t good for you.

MA: Right. Well, that’s about all I have. Is there anything else, any side projects you’d want to highlight, for those who are unaware?

TR: I’ve actually started another organization called All of Us or None, Northern New Jersey. It’s a completely volunteer organization, but it’s very active. When they have ideas, they kind of pass them through me, but I’m just the founder. I oversee it.

We have a Welcome Home initiative in which, when someone is released, they get a welcome home basket with toiletries and small essentials. It’s easy to advocate for housing and job access, things like that, but the first day you’re home, you’re not going to think about that right away. You will need soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, tampons, etc. Those kinds of direct services are what we try to focus on; we also partner with people to get gift cards, to secure meals, you know, more immediate needs upon release.

In Florida and New Jersey, we’re also starting a re - entry anonymous group. There didn’t seem to be a specific space for people to talk about re - entry, like they might about alcoholism, etc. My partner just flew back in from Florida, trying to narrow down the specific details so that we can launch that one and New Jersey’s simultaneously. Groups should pop up around the country and be like Alcoholics Anonymous, with guiding principles to help support people trying to get their lives back in order. Definitely check us out at allofusornone- northernn j.com .

MA: It’s really impressive, all this work you’ve done in just the last couple of years. I imagine that you didn’t know what exactly was going to pay off. You just had to try.

TR: Yes, I didn’t know. I started relationships before F.O.R.T.E. House, and I think that was the key. I formed a relationship with Rutgers University and said, “Hey, if I have this house, will you visit the institution and consider it as an option?” They said yes. About three years ago, I went to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and presented to them. About a year ago, I contacted the regional parole office and asked if I could have one parole officer for my house. So when F.O.R.T.E. House came to fruition, I already had a network and resources set in place. It looked like it happened fast, but it didn’t. It took years to build those relationships.