Eric Weaver on the challenges of housing and employment after reentry, and his mission to turn D.C. around

“In partnership with Public Welfare Foundation’s Real Safety D.C. education campaign, The Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark-Barnes hosted a one-hour roundtable as part of the paper’s Let’s Talk video series.

“Held at the Lankford Auditorium inside the historic True Reformer Building on U Street NW, the discussion brought together four D.C. leaders from faith, business, government, and community sectors to explore non-carceral solutions to prevent violence and strengthen safety in the District.

“Eric Weaver [Leading with Conviction 2019], founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Returned Citizens (NAARC), was one of the four leaders who joined the conversation—bringing a deeply personal perspective shaped by both lived experience and decades of work with formerly incarcerated people across Washington, D.C.

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“A native Washingtonian, Weaver was incarcerated at 17 and spent 22 years in prison. While inside, he earned his GED, vocational certifications, and college degrees—building the foundation for the life he hoped to lead when he came home.

“‘When I came home, I started an organization called NAARC,’ he said. ‘Initially, it was just advocating for the rights of returned citizens. Then I started seeing more of a need. So many people were coming home and needed help.’

“That realization pushed Weaver to expand NAARC into a citywide support hub—part reentry program, part community stabilization effort, part emergency response for residents trying to rebuild their lives. He created support groups modeled after recovery circles, where returning citizens could talk openly about the pressures and barriers they face.

“‘Violence prevention started being a thing again,’ Weaver said. ‘I saw opportunity because I knew a lot of guys that were incarcerated wanted to come home and give back—and I also saw opportunity to get them employed doing this work.’

“Employment, Weaver emphasized, is the line between stability and danger.

“‘I made bad decisions when I was young because of my situation at home,’ he said. ‘[There’s] still some families that have that situation, and it’s kids in that situation who will make bad decisions. They’re the ones we try to get to before they even make those decisions.’

“His approach is both practical and grounded in community trust. Years before violence interruption became a formalized sector, Weaver advocated for hiring trained returning citizens—people with credibility and deep relationships—to do the work. …

I’ve been a part of being evicted … So I know what some of these households are like.

“Weaver sees his work as more than a job. It is a purpose.

“‘I believe I was put here to do what I’m doing,’ he said. ‘I could have easily been gone. But I came out here, and this is my mission—to help turn around my city.’ …

“He advocates, makes calls, and builds bridges so that returning citizens can stabilize not just themselves, but their families as well.

“‘I’ve been a part of being evicted,’ he said. ‘I’ve been a part of coming home and trying to make something to eat. So I know what some of these households are like.’

“For Weaver, real safety means meeting people where they are, before crisis arrives. It means treating poverty and instability—not punishment—as the root drivers of harm. And it means creating pathways for returning citizens to be part of healing the communities they come from.”

Read the full story at WashingtonInformer.com.