How temporary cash assistance helps mothers reclaim their lives — and families — after prison

How temporary cash assistance helps mothers reclaim their lives — and families — after prison

When Carmen Ortega left prison in 2018, she knew that she needed a major life change. For more than five years, Ortega struggled with addiction and cycled in and out of incarceration, unable to secure a steady job or housing that would help keep her afloat. “In between me coming out, coming in, coming out — I was, for four years straight, homeless. Every time I came out of the jail, I didn’t have nowhere to go,” Ortega, 52, told The 19th. “That …