July 8, 2025 • 11 mins
After over a decade behind bars, Maria Garza returned to a world with little support and even less stability. Facing housing insecurity and emotional strain, she saw firsthand the failures of a system that promised rehabilitation but delivered barriers. Determined to break the cycle, she co-founded Challenge II Change, a reentry organization that centers stable housing and mental health as the foundation for real second chances.
Produced by Cary Robbins, with Noble Thompson and Noah Tomko-Jones for Reparations Media NFP | In collaboration with Maria Garza and Challenge II Change @challengeiichange
Donate to Reparations Media & Change Agents Production Lab
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
Our reentry experience is marginalized by
the fact that people believeanything should be better than
prison.
SPEAKER_00 (00:13):
That's Maria Garza, co-founder of Challenge to
Change.
I'm producer Keri Robbins.
This is an interview with MariaGarza for Change Agents, the
podcast.
Contributing producers for thisepisode are Noble Thompson and
Noah Tomko-Jones.
(00:38):
Maria Garza remembers the firstmeal she ate when she was
released from prison afterserving nine and a half years.
She still remembers going to theMcDonald's drive-thru and being
confused by the newtouchscreens.
Her first few nights were astruggle.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
You become institutionalized with things.
I couldn't sleep.
I was used to the sounds of thefans at Logan because I was in
the dog program and so we hadfans circulating.
You know, the constant noise, Iwas used to that and could sleep
through that.
That kind of like rocked me tosleep, you know?
(01:14):
And without it, like thepeacefulness, the quietness was
hard for me to adjust to.
And sometimes I think just, Idon't know, like you're like, oh
my God, I'm out.
SPEAKER_00 (01:27):
Within months of her release, Maria faced even
greater challenges.
Her housing arrangements changedand she was faced with housing
insecurity.
In 2011, Maria was arrested forcalculated criminal drug
(01:48):
conspiracy, trafficking, andpossession with intent to
deliver.
The charges were part of alarger indictment stemming back
to 2006.
She would eventually serve morethan a decade in prison.
Maria had turned to crime afteryears of financial hardship as a
single mother.
She had two children to providefor and was working three jobs
(02:09):
that did not cover the debts shefaced from her previous
relationship.
SPEAKER_02 (02:13):
I was like, just so in debt.
Bills that were always put undermy name, things like that.
My credit was shot.
I didn't have transportation.
I had the two kids, nobody tohelp me with daycare.
I had three jobs.
SPEAKER_00 (02:29):
Burdened by debt and with little time to care for her
children, Maria turned to crimeto make ends meet.
The choice allowed her to makegood money and still have time
to spend with her kids.
SPEAKER_02 (02:40):
I couldn't see myself getting out the hole.
It was like I was in a hole.
I couldn't get out by myself.
SPEAKER_00 (02:48):
In those early days, Maria didn't think about the
impact her crimes had onindividuals, especially
disenfranchised communities.
It wasn't until her third yearin pretrial status at Cook
County Jail that the magnitudeof her actions hit.
It was during a conversationwith a visiting priest.
SPEAKER_02 (03:06):
He goes, can you say from your heart, that you know
for a fact that not one persondied from those drugs.
Tears are pouring down my face.
I was just as accountable asanybody who puts a gun in
somebody's hand and tells themto go and shoot somebody.
You know?
And so, yes, that is what...
(03:29):
led me to my work and changed myperspective on how I viewed
myself as a person, my case, andmy debt to society, my search
for self redemption.
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
After her release from prison in June of 2021,
Maria faced a difficulttransition.
Without the foundation of stablehousing, she struggled to
rebuild her life.
Initially, she roomed with herbest friend and then her
(04:03):
godparents, but neitherarrangement lasted.
With no stable place to go, shebegan sleeping in her car and
staying in motels where drug useand sales were common.
She describes that time as evenworse than prison, where she at
least felt physically safe atnight.
SPEAKER_02 (04:19):
I'm still a Northwestern student at the
time.
And so like I'm trying to makeit all work and I'm in a motel.
And like it became reallydepressing.
I don't think I ever can saythat I have felt depressed.
I have felt like under pressure,stress.
But to say depressed, I thinkthat would be the time.
SPEAKER_00 (04:43):
By the end of 2021, things began to shift.
Through a friend who served as apastor at a local church, Maria
was given a chance to rent aparsonage.
SPEAKER_02 (04:54):
It's a cute little box house for like$300 a month.
And it's fully furnished.
And it's got a basement withwasher and dryer and a
good-sized kitchen and a livingroom.
It was just perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Despite the comfort of the home, Maria couldn't
quite call it her own.
SPEAKER_02 (05:17):
I'm still trying to make it work.
I think the parsonage gave mestability, you know?
I remember the first nightstaying there, it was a relief
because I knew I was no longerhomeless.
But it wasn't home, if thatmakes sense.
I think I'm still searching forthat moment where I can say,
(05:39):
this is mine.
SPEAKER_00 (05:48):
In September 2021, Maria co-founded Challenge to
Change with Javier Reyes afterthe two met while working in
criminal restorative justicereform and policy and advocacy.
Challenge to Change is focusedon supporting people reentering
community after incarceration.
Maria's own struggle withhousing insecurity after prison
(06:09):
helped contribute to theorganization's mission.
SPEAKER_02 (06:13):
We want to redefine really what reentry is.
And not only that, that we keeplooking at the social issues
that we have regardingincarceration as different
issues.
You think community violenceintervention, you know?
You can't talk violenceprevention without having
(06:34):
reentry at the table.
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Today, Challenge to Change not only provides reentry
support.
They also own and operatetemporary supportive housing for
justice-involved individuals inAurora.
In 2023, the organizationreceived a grant through the
Illinois Housing DevelopmentAuthority as part of their
Housing for Justice InvolvedIndividuals program.
(06:58):
The funding allowed them topurchase their first properties
that provide temporary housingfor eight people.
Now, with continued support,Challenge to Change is expanding
even further, recently securingadditional funding to acquire
three more properties.
SPEAKER_02 (07:14):
I feel reentry itself has even become limited
and marginalized.
Who has access to it?
How they can get access to it?
Once they have access to it, howthey navigate the spaces to be
able to get to the referralpathways?
And you know, why wouldn't it bethat way when reentry was
(07:35):
thought up, the concept of it,by somebody that has never
reentered?
SPEAKER_00 (07:39):
Maria says Challenge to Change offers a safe space
for people to reenter life withsupport from people who are
still trying to figure out theirown journey.
SPEAKER_02 (07:49):
Both Javier and I have lived the instabilities of
Like practically not havingsomewhere to go, not having
someone stable, being on thecouch, how it impacts a person
mentally, physically, and howthat itself brings on other
barriers to successful reentry.
SPEAKER_00 (08:11):
Maria says finding housing for the people she
serves is a priority.
SPEAKER_02 (08:16):
If people don't have to worry, then they can focus on
their reentry.
Worrying isn't one of them, youknow.
regards to where is it going tobe and is it going to be on the
streets and and stuff like thatand i guess that just gives me
the the comfort that if we couldtake the worry out then we can
focus on the re-entry experience
SPEAKER_00 (08:37):
maria explained how the carceral system wasn't
designed to prevent recidivismshe said that people may have a
job in education but without ahome there's no foundation to
rebuild a stable life Mariarecently visited Mexico for the
(08:59):
first time in 20 years.
Her vision of home comes fromgrowing up the middle child of
three siblings and splittingtime between her parents in the
U.S.
and her family in Mexico.
SPEAKER_02 (09:09):
Us eating together, it's so respected, it's so
worshipped, it's so...
Everybody comes to eat, youknow, at the table.
Even when you eat it, it's justso nourishing just to be in that
space us laughing, talking.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
While Maria has a roof over her head, being able
to see her family again helpedher realize what she was missing
in her home, the sense of familyand community without judgment.
SPEAKER_02 (09:39):
There, I did feel a sense of home.
But, you know, I don't livethere.
I don't reside there.
There, I do feel I don't have toput barriers.
I don't have to have eyes behindthe back of my head.
It's a whole different culture.
the love, the warmth, theembrace, everything.
SPEAKER_00 (10:00):
As she continues searching for a permanent place
to call home, Maria says shecarries with her the memory of
her family in Mexico, thesecurity she felt around the
dinner table.
In Maria's eyes, her work hasoffered a path to redemption.
Her own reentry journey has hadits ups and downs, but she is
thankful for the opportunity tohelp others.
(10:21):
Her path has led her to discoveran essential key to finding
home.
SPEAKER_02 (10:26):
It's feeling safe.
It's feeling stable.
It's knowing that it'slong-term, peaceful, you know,
your comfort zone.
I think that that's what yourhome should be.
UNKNOWN (10:45):
you
Our reentry experience is marginalized by
the fact that people believeanything should be better than
prison.
SPEAKER_00 (00:13):
That's Maria Garza, co-founder of Challenge to
Change.
I'm producer Keri Robbins.
This is an interview with MariaGarza for Change Agents, the
podcast.
Contributing producers for thisepisode are Noble Thompson and
Noah Tomko-Jones.
(00:38):
Maria Garza remembers the firstmeal she ate when she was
released from prison afterserving nine and a half years.
She still remembers going to theMcDonald's drive-thru and being
confused by the newtouchscreens.
Her first few nights were astruggle.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
You become institutionalized with things.
I couldn't sleep.
I was used to the sounds of thefans at Logan because I was in
the dog program and so we hadfans circulating.
You know, the constant noise, Iwas used to that and could sleep
through that.
That kind of like rocked me tosleep, you know?
(01:14):
And without it, like thepeacefulness, the quietness was
hard for me to adjust to.
And sometimes I think just, Idon't know, like you're like, oh
my God, I'm out.
SPEAKER_00 (01:27):
Within months of her release, Maria faced even
greater challenges.
Her housing arrangements changedand she was faced with housing
insecurity.
In 2011, Maria was arrested forcalculated criminal drug
(01:48):
conspiracy, trafficking, andpossession with intent to
deliver.
The charges were part of alarger indictment stemming back
to 2006.
She would eventually serve morethan a decade in prison.
Maria had turned to crime afteryears of financial hardship as a
single mother.
She had two children to providefor and was working three jobs
(02:09):
that did not cover the debts shefaced from her previous
relationship.
SPEAKER_02 (02:13):
I was like, just so in debt.
Bills that were always put undermy name, things like that.
My credit was shot.
I didn't have transportation.
I had the two kids, nobody tohelp me with daycare.
I had three jobs.
SPEAKER_00 (02:29):
Burdened by debt and with little time to care for her
children, Maria turned to crimeto make ends meet.
The choice allowed her to makegood money and still have time
to spend with her kids.
SPEAKER_02 (02:40):
I couldn't see myself getting out the hole.
It was like I was in a hole.
I couldn't get out by myself.
SPEAKER_00 (02:48):
In those early days, Maria didn't think about the
impact her crimes had onindividuals, especially
disenfranchised communities.
It wasn't until her third yearin pretrial status at Cook
County Jail that the magnitudeof her actions hit.
It was during a conversationwith a visiting priest.
SPEAKER_02 (03:06):
He goes, can you say from your heart, that you know
for a fact that not one persondied from those drugs.
Tears are pouring down my face.
I was just as accountable asanybody who puts a gun in
somebody's hand and tells themto go and shoot somebody.
You know?
And so, yes, that is what...
(03:29):
led me to my work and changed myperspective on how I viewed
myself as a person, my case, andmy debt to society, my search
for self redemption.
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
After her release from prison in June of 2021,
Maria faced a difficulttransition.
Without the foundation of stablehousing, she struggled to
rebuild her life.
Initially, she roomed with herbest friend and then her
(04:03):
godparents, but neitherarrangement lasted.
With no stable place to go, shebegan sleeping in her car and
staying in motels where drug useand sales were common.
She describes that time as evenworse than prison, where she at
least felt physically safe atnight.
SPEAKER_02 (04:19):
I'm still a Northwestern student at the
time.
And so like I'm trying to makeit all work and I'm in a motel.
And like it became reallydepressing.
I don't think I ever can saythat I have felt depressed.
I have felt like under pressure,stress.
But to say depressed, I thinkthat would be the time.
SPEAKER_00 (04:43):
By the end of 2021, things began to shift.
Through a friend who served as apastor at a local church, Maria
was given a chance to rent aparsonage.
SPEAKER_02 (04:54):
It's a cute little box house for like$300 a month.
And it's fully furnished.
And it's got a basement withwasher and dryer and a
good-sized kitchen and a livingroom.
It was just perfect.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
Despite the comfort of the home, Maria couldn't
quite call it her own.
SPEAKER_02 (05:17):
I'm still trying to make it work.
I think the parsonage gave mestability, you know?
I remember the first nightstaying there, it was a relief
because I knew I was no longerhomeless.
But it wasn't home, if thatmakes sense.
I think I'm still searching forthat moment where I can say,
(05:39):
this is mine.
SPEAKER_00 (05:48):
In September 2021, Maria co-founded Challenge to
Change with Javier Reyes afterthe two met while working in
criminal restorative justicereform and policy and advocacy.
Challenge to Change is focusedon supporting people reentering
community after incarceration.
Maria's own struggle withhousing insecurity after prison
(06:09):
helped contribute to theorganization's mission.
SPEAKER_02 (06:13):
We want to redefine really what reentry is.
And not only that, that we keeplooking at the social issues
that we have regardingincarceration as different
issues.
You think community violenceintervention, you know?
You can't talk violenceprevention without having
(06:34):
reentry at the table.
SPEAKER_00 (06:36):
Today, Challenge to Change not only provides reentry
support.
They also own and operatetemporary supportive housing for
justice-involved individuals inAurora.
In 2023, the organizationreceived a grant through the
Illinois Housing DevelopmentAuthority as part of their
Housing for Justice InvolvedIndividuals program.
(06:58):
The funding allowed them topurchase their first properties
that provide temporary housingfor eight people.
Now, with continued support,Challenge to Change is expanding
even further, recently securingadditional funding to acquire
three more properties.
SPEAKER_02 (07:14):
I feel reentry itself has even become limited
and marginalized.
Who has access to it?
How they can get access to it?
Once they have access to it, howthey navigate the spaces to be
able to get to the referralpathways?
And you know, why wouldn't it bethat way when reentry was
(07:35):
thought up, the concept of it,by somebody that has never
reentered?
SPEAKER_00 (07:39):
Maria says Challenge to Change offers a safe space
for people to reenter life withsupport from people who are
still trying to figure out theirown journey.
SPEAKER_02 (07:49):
Both Javier and I have lived the instabilities of
Like practically not havingsomewhere to go, not having
someone stable, being on thecouch, how it impacts a person
mentally, physically, and howthat itself brings on other
barriers to successful reentry.
SPEAKER_00 (08:11):
Maria says finding housing for the people she
serves is a priority.
SPEAKER_02 (08:16):
If people don't have to worry, then they can focus on
their reentry.
Worrying isn't one of them, youknow.
regards to where is it going tobe and is it going to be on the
streets and and stuff like thatand i guess that just gives me
the the comfort that if we couldtake the worry out then we can
focus on the re-entry experience
SPEAKER_00 (08:37):
maria explained how the carceral system wasn't
designed to prevent recidivismshe said that people may have a
job in education but without ahome there's no foundation to
rebuild a stable life Mariarecently visited Mexico for the
(08:59):
first time in 20 years.
Her vision of home comes fromgrowing up the middle child of
three siblings and splittingtime between her parents in the
U.S.
and her family in Mexico.
SPEAKER_02 (09:09):
Us eating together, it's so respected, it's so
worshipped, it's so...
Everybody comes to eat, youknow, at the table.
Even when you eat it, it's justso nourishing just to be in that
space us laughing, talking.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
While Maria has a roof over her head, being able
to see her family again helpedher realize what she was missing
in her home, the sense of familyand community without judgment.
SPEAKER_02 (09:39):
There, I did feel a sense of home.
But, you know, I don't livethere.
I don't reside there.
There, I do feel I don't have toput barriers.
I don't have to have eyes behindthe back of my head.
It's a whole different culture.
the love, the warmth, theembrace, everything.
SPEAKER_00 (10:00):
As she continues searching for a permanent place
to call home, Maria says shecarries with her the memory of
her family in Mexico, thesecurity she felt around the
dinner table.
In Maria's eyes, her work hasoffered a path to redemption.
Her own reentry journey has hadits ups and downs, but she is
thankful for the opportunity tohelp others.
(10:21):
Her path has led her to discoveran essential key to finding
home.
SPEAKER_02 (10:26):
It's feeling safe.
It's feeling stable.
It's knowing that it'slong-term, peaceful, you know,
your comfort zone.
I think that that's what yourhome should be.
UNKNOWN (10:45):
you
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