01
Employment Readiness
Resume preparation, interview practice, fair-chance employer connections, and skills-translation help for people whose work histories were interrupted by incarceration.
South Los Angeles · 501(c)(3) · EIN 99-4410304
Re-Entry.
Opportunity. Preparedness. Empowerment.
ROPE empowers returning citizens in South Los Angeles to rebuild their lives — through employment readiness, housing navigation, mentorship, and faith-rooted community support that begins the day after release.
Our Mission
Walking Alongside Returning Citizens
ROPE delivers rehabilitation services and human resource support to returning citizens — formerly incarcerated individuals re-entering the community after a period of confinement.
We operate in South Los Angeles, one of the regions most impacted by mass incarceration in the United States. Our work begins where the system stops: the day after release, when the bus ticket runs out, the parole conditions begin, and the path to employment, housing, and family reconnection feels impossibly steep.
ROPE is a small, faith-rooted ministry born out of Grace Chapel Church of West Park Terrace, where Pastor Dexter Malone has served the South LA community for years. We are not a treatment program — we are neighbors, mentors, and case-companions, meeting returning citizens where they are, with respect for what they have lived, and walking alongside them through the practical work of rebuilding a life.
What We Do
Programs & Services
02
Housing & Social Services Navigation
Help finding fair-chance housing, applying for benefits, restoring ID and Social Security documents, and accessing healthcare in the first weeks after release.
03
Mentorship
One-on-one mentorship from pastors, peer mentors who have lived re-entry themselves, and community members who show up consistently — especially in the first six months when the risk of returning is highest.
04
Re-Entry Preparation
Pre-release planning with people still inside — building the practical roadmap (housing, employment, ID, family) before the gate opens, not after.
05
Family Reunification Support
Counseling and structured time for returning citizens to reconnect with children, partners, and parents — repairing what years apart strained, with realistic expectations on both sides.
06
Spiritual Care
For those who want it: pastoral counsel, prayer, and a place at Grace Chapel Church. Faith is offered, never imposed — services are open to anyone, regardless of belief.
Who We Serve
Returning Citizens. South LA. Neighbors.
"Re-entry doesn't fail on day one — it fails on day thirty, when the welcome plate is empty, the rent is due, and no one calls. Our job is to be the call."
Pastor Dexter Malone, Chief Executive Officer
The Organization
About ROPE
Re-Entry Opportunity Preparedness Empowerment is a 501(c)(3) public charity, recognized by the IRS and eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
ROPE is rooted in the ministry of Grace Chapel Church of West Park Terrace, serving South Los Angeles. The organization is led by Pastor Dexter Malone and operates without paid staff — every program hour is delivered by volunteers, pastors, and peer mentors who believe that returning citizens deserve more than a bus ticket and a goodbye.
We are open to partners — fair-chance employers, housing providers, mental-health practitioners, and donors who share our conviction that the months after release are when the community either shows up or doesn't.
- Legal status
- 501(c)(3) public charity
- EIN
- 99-4410304
- NTEE
- I40 · Rehabilitation Services
- Headquartered
- South Los Angeles, CA
- CEO
- Pastor Dexter Malone
Get In Touch
Contact
Re-Entry Opportunity Preparedness Empowerment
2003 W 78th Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90047
United States
For returning citizens seeking support, families looking for help, fair-chance employers, donors, and community partners — please call or write. We answer every contact, in the order it arrives.