Peaceprints of WNY

Peaceprints of WNY Strengthening Communities by Rebuilding Lives 660 Smith Street
Bufflalo, NY 14210
716.856.6131

Pride is a celebration. It is also a reminder that LGBTQ+ justice and criminal justice reform are deeply connected.LGBTQ...
06/14/2026

Pride is a celebration. It is also a reminder that LGBTQ+ justice and criminal justice reform are deeply connected.

LGBTQ+ young people are drastically overrepresented among youth experiencing homelessness and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. LGBTQ+ youth make up only about 5–7% of the overall youth population, but an estimated 40% of youth experiencing homelessness and 20% of youth in the juvenile justice system.

That does not happen by accident.

For too many q***r and trans young people, the path into the legal system starts with rejection. Being kicked out. Running from abuse. Sleeping somewhere unsafe. Missing school. Needing food, transportation, hygiene products, or a place to stay.

When young people are forced to survive without stable housing or support, they may turn to criminalized behaviors like s*x work, selling drugs, or stealing to meet basic needs. That drastically increases their risk of arrest, detention, exploitation, and deeper system involvement.

This is sometimes called the “survival pipeline”: the path from rejection and homelessness to poverty, criminalization, court involvement, and incarceration. The risks are even more pronounced for q***r youth of color, who are also navigating racism, over-policing, and unequal access to safety and support.

LGBTQ+ youth do not need more punishment. They need housing. They need affirming adults. They need mental health support, education, food, transportation, and community-based services that meet them before survival becomes a charge.

Peaceprints was proud to join Buffalo Masten District Common Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart and her team to parade at the ...
06/13/2026

Peaceprints was proud to join Buffalo Masten District Common Councilwoman Zeneta Everhart and her team to parade at the 50th anniversary of Buffalo’s Juneteenth of Buffalo Festival.

Thank you to Councilwoman Everhart’s team for welcoming us to walk alongside you, and thank you to the incredible Juneteenth Festival crowd for the energy, joy, and celebration you brought to the day.

Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It is a celebration of Black freedom, resilience, culture, community, and the ongoing work of liberation.

We’ll be sharing more about Juneteenth and what it means to our work on the actual holiday of June 19. For now, we’re grateful to have celebrated in community, surrounded by music, movement, history, and joy.

06/12/2026

Many people know Peaceprints for reentry work. Fewer people know we also operate a community food pantry.

Every Wednesday, our St. Patrick’s Community Food Pantry team shows up to serve neighbors with care, consistency, and dignity. Thank you to our Pantry Coordinator Annie and her team of incredible volunteers. Without you, we would not be able to serve over 8,000 neighbors each year.

They unload, sort, stock, greet, pack, carry, problem-solve, and keep things moving week after week. More importantly, they make sure people are met with kindness during a time when asking for help may not feel easy.

To every volunteer and staff member who helps make the pantry run: thank you. You are feeding families, strengthening community, and reminding people that they are not alone.

If you or someone you know needs food assistance and lives in the 14210 or 14206 zip codes, our pantry is here.

St. Patrick’s Community Food Pantry
1119 William Street
Buffalo, NY 14206
Located to the left of the Goodwill building

Open Wednesdays
9:45 AM – 4:00 PM

Call: 716-768-4714

Please help us spread the word. Someone in your neighborhood may need to know this resource exists.

Please join us in congratulating Dave on his promotion to Assistant Director of Workforce Development!Since he started w...
06/11/2026

Please join us in congratulating Dave on his promotion to Assistant Director of Workforce Development!

Since he started with Peaceprints in January, Dave has been a steady, thoughtful, and committed part of our employment work, helping clients build the skills, confidence, and stability they need to move toward meaningful careers. We’re grateful to see him step into this new leadership role.

We’re also celebrating Dave’s recent completion of the Ready, Set, Work! train-the-trainer course, which will allow him to facilitate this important employment readiness and retention program with our clients in jail and in the community.

Ready, Set, Work! helps participants build practical skills for the job search and beyond, including completing applications, preparing for interviews, navigating personal or legal barriers to employment, developing effective job search strategies, keeping a job, and building the workplace skills that can open the door to stronger opportunities.

For the people we serve, workforce development is about more than finding a job. It is about creating stability, rebuilding confidence, supporting families, and helping people move toward careers that are meaningful and sustainable.

Congratulations, Dave! We’re excited to see you lead the next first Ready, Set, Work! cohort and continue helping clients build what comes next.

Last week, New York took an important step toward sentencing reform.On June 4, a bill that includes two provisions from ...
06/10/2026

Last week, New York took an important step toward sentencing reform.

On June 4, a bill that includes two provisions from the Marvin Mayfield Act passed the State Legislature. The bill would give courts more discretion in certain plea agreements involving mandatory minimums under two- and three-strikes laws. It would also remove arbitrary plea restrictions that can force people into harsher outcomes than justice requires.

This is not the full Marvin Mayfield Act, which would go further to end mandatory minimum sentencing in New York. However, it is real progress, and it happened because people organized, advocated, and refused to let lawmakers look away.

Now we need Governor Hochul to sign this bill, and we need legislators to keep moving toward the full Marvin Mayfield Act.

Keep the momentum going and take action today: https://communityalternatives.quorum.us/campaign/151165/

Peaceprints is hiring!We currently have several opportunities available across four position types, with some roles fill...
06/09/2026

Peaceprints is hiring!

We currently have several opportunities available across four position types, with some roles filling more than one opening. If you are looking for meaningful work rooted in reentry, youth support, housing, community care, and second chances, we would love to hear from you.

Our team works alongside justice-impacted adults, young people, families, and community members as they build stability, reconnect with support, and move toward their goals.

We are looking for people who are compassionate, dependable, mission-driven, and ready to be part of work that matters in Western New York.

View current openings and apply here:
https://www.peaceprintswny.org/get-involved/job-opportunities

Jess’s story is a beautiful example of what stability can make possible.With support from Peaceprints, Jess enrolled in ...
06/08/2026

Jess’s story is a beautiful example of what stability can make possible.

With support from Peaceprints, Jess enrolled in Project Blue and worked hard to complete court and treatment, secure her own apartment, return to school, and begin a new job. Step by step, she kept building the foundation she needed for herself and her family.

Today, Jess has custody of both of her daughters, and they are all living together under one roof.

That is more than a checklist of accomplishments. It is home. It is healing. It is the result of persistence, accountability, support, and a mother’s commitment to creating a stable future for her children.

Jess is continuing to pursue higher education while raising her daughters and moving forward in her life. We are so proud of the work she has put in, the stability she has built, and the future she is creating for her family.

Pride Month did not begin as a parade. It began, in part, as resistance to criminalization.For much of our country’s his...
06/07/2026

Pride Month did not begin as a parade. It began, in part, as resistance to criminalization.

For much of our country’s history, LGBTQ+ people were treated as criminals for existing openly. Gay bars were raided. People were arrested for gathering, dancing, dressing outside gender norms, or simply being visible in public. Here in New York State, that history came to a head at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, when LGBTQ+ New Yorkers fought back after yet another police raid.

Stonewall was not the beginning of LGBTQ+ resistance, but it became a turning point. It forced the country to confront the reality that laws and law enforcement had been used to punish people for who they were, who they loved, and how they moved through the world.

More than 50 years later, the laws have changed in many ways. But the connection between LGBTQ+ identity and criminalization has not disappeared.

Trans people, especially Black and Brown trans people, continue to be overrepresented in jails and prisons. Those disparities are tied to many of the same forces that have always placed LGBTQ+ people at risk: family rejection, homelessness, poverty, employment discrimination, barriers to healthcare, public harassment, and systems that respond to survival with punishment.

At Peaceprints, we believe reentry work must be honest about who is most impacted by incarceration. Pride is about celebration, but it is also about safety, dignity, and freedom.

This month, we honor the LGBTQ+ people who resisted criminalization before us, and we recommit ourselves to building a community where every person has the support they need to come home, be safe, and live fully.

Kevin’s story is rooted in fatherhood, love, and the future he is working toward.While incarcerated at ECCF, Kevin compl...
06/06/2026

Kevin’s story is rooted in fatherhood, love, and the future he is working toward.

While incarcerated at ECCF, Kevin completed the Fatherhood Program and consistently shared his commitment to being the best father he can be. In April 2025, Kevin and his girlfriend, Cha’rae, welcomed their son, Kevin Jr., lovingly known as "KJ".

Although Kevin was not able to be physically present for his son’s birth, his love for KJ has been clear in every conversation. He is focused on staying connected, growing as a father, and preparing for the day he can continue building a stable future with his family at home.

At Peaceprints, supporting a client often means supporting the people who love them, too. Kevin’s case manager has worked closely with Cha’rae, helping with job interviews, baby supplies, formula, visits with Kevin, and Christmas gifts for the children through a community holiday event.

Kevin’s story reminds us that reentry work can begin long before someone comes home. It begins with connection, planning, accountability, and the people waiting on the other side.

We are proud of Kevin’s commitment to fatherhood, grateful to support Cha’rae and KJ, and looking forward to the future this family is working toward together.

New York students need solutions, not suspensions. Statewide, Black and Latinx students make up 42% of all students, yet...
06/05/2026

New York students need solutions, not suspensions. Statewide, Black and Latinx students make up 42% of all students, yet they account for 71% of all students referred to law enforcement. Additionally, students with disabilities were suspended 87% more often than students in the general education population.

Too often, students are removed from the classroom for behavior that should be met with support, accountability, and repair. Suspensions can disconnect young people from school, trusted adults, routine, and the very supports that help them get back on track.

For students already navigating trauma, disability, poverty, racism, housing instability, or family crisis, being pushed out of school can deepen the challenges they are already facing.

We see this in youth justice work. When young people are disconnected from school, they are more likely to experience instability, fall behind, and come into contact with systems that punish rather than support them.

The Solutions Not Suspensions bill would help move New York toward more age-appropriate, restorative, and equitable school discipline practices. It does not mean students are not held accountable. It means accountability should help young people learn, repair harm, and stay connected to their education.

New York has a chance to choose a better path.

Take action today and tell state leaders to support Solutions Not Suspensions.
https://action.aclu.org/send-message/support-solutions-not-suspensions

Address

1001 East Delavan Avenue
Buffalo, NY
14215

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+17168566131

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