Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Hinton.
Hi Danielle, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Emerging Light Reentry and Transitional Housing was born from my personal experiences growing up in West Baltimore and witnessing the impact that incarceration can have on individuals, families, and communities. Growing up, I had many friends who eventually became involved with the criminal justice system and were incarcerated. While I could not change the circumstances that led them there, I often found myself being the person they could turn to when they needed help, information, or someone to advocate for them.
I became known as the “resourceful friend.” If someone needed help finding a resource, navigating a situation, or figuring out what steps to take next, they would call me. There were even times when I spoke with the Commissioner on behalf of my friends because I wanted to help them get their concerns heard and connect them with the appropriate resources or even a possible release.
Over time, I began to realize that what I was doing for my friends was bigger than just helping one person at a time. I was seeing a consistent need for people who were incarcerated or returning home to have someone who could help them navigate the system and connect them to meaningful resources. I also saw how difficult it could be for someone to come home with a criminal record and immediately be expected to find housing, employment, education, treatment, and stability without having the support or connections necessary to accomplish those things.
That experience planted the seed for Emerging Light, I saw a bigger issue.
I wanted to create an organization that could take the same support I had been providing informally and turn it into something structured, intentional, and accessible to more people. The goal is to start the process during incarceration as we prepare to people to adapt and adjust to new beginnings, to redevelop those soft skills that are needed. I wanted individuals returning home from incarceration to have somewhere they could go for more than just a list of phone numbers. They needed people who would listen to them, help them develop a plan, connect them to resources, hold them accountable, and encourage them to believe that their lives could be different.
Most importantly, I wanted Emerging Light to feel like family.
That is where the name Emerging Light comes from. I believe that incarceration does not have to define someone’s future. There can still be light, hope, purpose, and opportunity after incarceration. A person’s past may be part of their story, but it does not have to be the end of their story.
My motivation has always been bigger than simply creating an organization. I want to address the gaps that I witnessed firsthand. I want to help people who may not have a “resourceful friend” like I was for so many of my friends. I want them to have a team of people who will advocate for them, guide them, encourage them, and remind them that they still have value, potential, and a future.
Emerging Light is a reflection of where I come from, the people I have encountered along the way, and the experiences that shaped my understanding of reentry. What started as me being the friend people called when they needed help has grown into a vision for a community-based organization committed to helping people transition home, rebuild their lives, reconnect with their families, and become productive members of their communities.
At Emerging Light, we don’t just want to provide services we want people to feel supported, seen, valued, and believed in. We want every person we serve to feel like they have a team cheering them on, just as a family would.
Emerging Light exists because I believe everyone deserves an opportunity to move beyond their past, be surrounded by people who believe in their future, and step into a new chapter of their life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been easy. There have been financial barriers, organizational challenges, learning curves, and plenty of moments where I had to figure things out as I went. But those struggles have also made me more determined. Emerging Light is still growing, and I know there is a lot more work to do. I see the challenges as part of building something that can eventually become a lasting source of support for people coming home and trying to rebuild their lives. Even as the resourceful friend, I had to find resources and individuals to help me navigate in this journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a Maryland state professional who works in contracting, quality assurance, compliance, and provider oversight, but my work in the community goes beyond my professional career. I have always been someone people could come to when they needed help finding resources, navigating a system, or simply having someone advocate for them.
I have been known throughout Baltimore for helping people in the community, connecting individuals and families to resources, and stepping up when someone needed assistance. I have always been determined to “figure it out” and if I did not know the answer, I would try to find someone who did. That has included helping people who were dealing with not only incarceration, reentry, housing needs, employment challenges, but with life and emotional issues or other barriers that we face daily.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
My vision for Emerging Light Reentry and Transitional Housing is to have our programming available throughout Maryland’s correctional facilities. I see us providing programs that focus on all skills that will prepare individuals for the realities they will face when they return home.
I also see Emerging Light growing into an organization that provides housing for a diverse population of people returning to the community. Housing is one of the biggest pieces of successful reentry because it is difficult to rebuild your life when you do not have a safe and stable place to live. I envision Emerging Light offering different levels of support based on individual needs, while connecting residents to employment, education, treatment, healthcare, transportation, family reunification, and other community resources.
Ultimately, I don’t want Emerging Light to only be a place someone goes after incarceration. I want us to be part of the entire journey from behind the wall, to release, to transitional housing, and eventually to independent living. I want people to know that when they come home, they have someone in their corner. A chosen family!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.emerginglightreentry.org
- Instagram: emerginglightreentry
- Facebook: Emerging Light Reentry and Transitional Housing
- Other: Tik Tok emerging.light
