For a grant program to be administered by the office of the commissioner of probation for community based residential re-entry programs to reduce recidivism by providing transitional housing, workforce development and case management to individuals returning to the community from county correctional facilities and state prisons, including inmates of state prisons and county correctional facilities approved under
sections 49 and 86F of chapter 127 of the General Laws and individuals on parole or on probation; provided, that these programs shall provide supervision and accountability as needed; provided further, that the funds shall be awarded through a competitive process to qualified nonprofit organizations with a documented history of providing comprehensive, evidence-based community residential re-entry services; provided further, that applicants shall provide a plan for ensuring that proposed programs shall be implemented with fidelity to a research-based or evidence-based program design; provided further, that not less than $1,000,000 shall be spent on women and elderly citizens returning from incarceration; and provided further, that not later than March 2, 2020, the department of probation shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means on the outcomes and recidivism rates of the participants, prior appropriation continued