Staffing

One question I often get asked is how RISS will be staffed.

Because the campus is designed for up to 80 residents, some people assume that means we will need a heavy staffing model. The question usually comes in some version of: “What is your staffing ratio?”

That question is understandable, but it also comes from a programmatic way of thinking. It assumes that transitional housing is primarily about management, oversight, monitoring, and control.

That is not what RISS is being built to be.

RISS is not a program. We are not here to control residents or manage their lives. We are building a campus environment where adults can stabilize, work, learn, rebuild daily habits, access support, and begin functioning in the community again.

Residents are free to come and go. There is no curfew. If a resident is on parole, probation, or any other form of supervision, it is their responsibility to comply with those requirements. We are not a correctional facility, and we are not here to babysit grown adults. The expectation is personal responsibility, accountability, and community standards — not institutional control.

There will be oversight where it is needed. There will be a 24-hour staff presence in the lobby and arrival area. That matters. Not because residents need to be constantly watched, but because the campus should never feel abandoned. If something does happen, staff will be present. But just as importantly, residents will always know there is someone available if they need help, need to talk, have a concern, or are trying to navigate a difficult situation.

At full capacity, with all planned positions filled, RISS is expected to have approximately 15 to 18 paid staff members. Three staff members will live on campus full time. Other paid staff will be professionals responsible for specific areas of campus life, operations, resident support, workforce activity, administration, facilities, and community engagement.

Beyond paid staff, RISS will also rely on volunteer professionals, instructors, mentors, service providers, and community partners to strengthen the campus without turning it into an overstaffed institution.

The goal is simple: enough staff to support the campus well, not so few that residents are left unsupported, and not so many that the environment becomes overbearing.

The idea that we need a fixed number of staff for every fixed number of residents is the opposite of what RISS is trying to build. This is not a control model. It is an infrastructure model.

Staffing will be built around function, presence, professionalism, safety, and support.

Not surveillance. Not institutional control. Not program management for the sake of program management.

If you believe reintegration should be built intentionally, not reactively, we invite you to explore how you can help bring the RISS model to life.