Starting Over

What Starting Over does

Starting Over, Inc. is a California-incorporated nonprofit organization founded in 2009 and headquartered at 6355 Riverside Ave Suite 100, Riverside, California, serving the Inland Empire, greater Los Angeles area, and—via its legal clinic expansion—five Southern California counties. The organization delivers a comprehensive reentry and supportive-housing platform for justice-involved individuals, system-impacted families, and people experiencing homelessness, built around 12 transitional homes (with both sober-living and harm-reduction options), peer support, the Path 2 SEED employment and digital-skills program, the Marshall Legal & Expungement Clinic, the FREE Project for family reunification, Participatory Defense organizing, and ancillary supports including Food for Life grocery distributions, Workers Rights training, VITA tax preparation, and annual backpack and holiday gift giveaways. All direct services are provided free of charge to participants, and the organization is led predominantly by formerly incarcerated staff whose lived experience is the operating premise of the model, which is adapted from A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally lean and nonprofit-appropriate: a Squarespace-hosted website, standard digital case management and communications tooling, and a notable niche data product—the Prosecutor Initiated Resentencing (PIR) Dashboard—developed with support from the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative to publish data on California's PIR Pilot Program implementation in Riverside County. Beyond that dashboard, the technology stack is not proprietary and is not a differentiator. The organization also operates the wholly-owned social enterprise ReLeaf Works, which functions as a workforce-staffing arm connecting justice-impacted workers with Inland Region employers through OSHA, Forklift, Solar, and CDL certifications.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic and program-related channels rather than direct fees: individual donations processed via Zeffy, recurring monthly giving through the Open House Club, foundation grants (e.g., Million Voters Project), and event-based fundraising including the annual Seventh Annual Fundraiser Gala. Distribution is direct-to-client via the Riverside office, partner venues (e.g., Norco College Underground Scholars for legal clinics), mobile outreach, and the IRRC partner network of 200+ organizations, with go-to-market driven by peer referrals, community partnerships, civic-engagement campaigns (e.g., "Our IE" with COPE and IC4IJ), and earned media. The customer base is highly diffuse—over 7,000 individuals and families served cumulatively—with a 79% one-year post-program housing retention rate reported as the headline outcome metric.

Name

Starting Over

Legal name

Starting Over, Inc.

Website

https://startingoverinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Starting Over, Inc. is a Riverside, California-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that provides transitional housing, reentry services, peer support, legal expungement clinics, employment training, and advocacy for justice-involved and unhoused individuals across the Inland Empire and Southern California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reentry and Homeless Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Senior & Transitional Monthly Housing (THAMAFAJ)

Keywords

• Reentry services
• Transitional housing
• Criminal justice advocacy
• Case management
• Peer support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverside

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations through Zeffy platform. Monthly supporters can join the Open House Club to sustain housing work.
2. Monthly Giving Program (Open House Club): Community of monthly supporters sharing commitment to housing people after release from jail or prison. Members receive access to community events, policy campaign updates, swag, and discounted Gala tickets.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraiser gala (Seventh Annual Fundraiser Gala: Reclaiming Lives, Restoring Futures) with sponsorships and ticket sales.
4. Foundation Grants: Million Voters Project grant supporting narrative change work and regional efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Starting Over, Inc. provides transitional housing and reentry services for justice-involved and unhoused individuals in the Inland Empire and greater Los Angeles area. The organization operates 12 transitional homes offering sober living and harm reduction options, peer support, employment services through Path 2 SEED, free legal clinics for expungement, family reunification support, and civic engagement programs. All direct services are provided free of charge to participants, funded primarily through donations, grants, and event fundraising.

Product overview

Starting Over, Inc. is a nonprofit organization (not a tech product company) providing a comprehensive suite of reentry services for justice-impacted individuals. The organization operates a hybrid direct-services-plus-advocacy model based on the A New Way of Life program. Core offerings include 12 transitional housing homes across western Riverside and southern LA Counties, peer support services, the Path 2 SEED employment and digital skills program, ReLeaf Works social enterprise staffing, Marshall Legal Clinic for expungement services, and the FREE Project for family reunification. Additional services encompass Participatory Defense organizing, Inland Region Reentry Collaborative convenings, Food for Life grocery distribution, Workers Rights training, VITA tax prep, holiday gift programs, and backpack giveaways. The organization also runs the Riverside All Of Us or None chapter and has launched the Ruchell Cinqué Magee Community Land Trust for homeownership opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReLeaf Works: A new social enterprise from Starting Over, Inc. providing workforce solutions connecting workers and employers across the Inland Region with diverse, certified talent, no-cost trainings and certifications, hiring support.

Products and services

• Transitional Housing
• Peer Support Services
• Path 2 SEED Employment Program
• ReLeaf Works
• Food for Life
• Marshall Legal Clinic
• Case Management Services
• Family Reunification, Equity & Empowerment (FREE) Project
• Participatory Defense Inland Empire
• Inland Region Reentry Collaborative (IRRC)
• Workers Rights Training
• VITA Tax Preparation
• Backpack & School Supply Giveaway
• Holiday Gift & Toy Giveaway
• Riverside All Of Us or None Chapter
• Ruchell Cinqué Magee Community Land Trust

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% of program participants remain housed 1 year after exiting the transitional program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCPSC Partner delivering statewide public awareness and community engagement initiatives to the region. Learn more at ocpsc.ca.gov.
• A New Way of Life Re-Entry ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram model inspiration. Starting Over's hybrid model blends direct services with civic engagement and public policy work based on the A New Way of Life program model. Founder Susan Burton serves on Starting Over's Board of Directors.
• Norco College Underground ScholarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting Marshall Legal & Expungement Clinics at Norco College, providing access to students and community members for record clearance services.
• Million Voters ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVP Echoes Academy grant supporting narrative change work. Starting Over partnered with COPE and IC4IJ through a Million Voters Project grant and its MVP Echoes Academy, building regional effort focused on how people talk and think about the Inland Empire.
• Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Our IE' campaign fighting Inland Empire's negative stereotypes using polling, canvassing, billboards and digital ad impressions. Coalition of three community-led nonprofits.
• Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 'Our IE' campaign and IC4IJ Resource Hotline supporting undocumented immigrant communities in the Inland Region. Coalition of over 35 organizations.
• Inland Region Reentry Collaborative (IRRC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarting Over is a key founding/lead organization in IRRC which brings together 200+ partner organizations and 500+ members including reentry service providers, justice impacted individuals, and community stakeholders to improve reentry processes and advocate for system change.
• National All Of Us or NoneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of national organizing initiative of formerly incarcerated people, families, friends, and allies advocating for rights, futures, and dignity of those impacted by incarceration. Riverside chapter actively organizing for sheriff accountability.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Root & Rebound: California-based nonprofit providing legal services, advocacy, and resource guides for people with arrest and conviction records. Direct peer to Starting Over's Marshall Legal & Expungement Clinic in the legal-reentry service line.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based reentry nonprofit offering social enterprises (cafes, bakery, silkscreen), tattoo removal, mental health, education, and job training for formerly incarcerated individuals. Direct peer in the reentry + workforce + lived-experience-led space, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC): California-based advocacy and leadership organization for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted people. Direct peer in the policy/advocacy and leadership-development layers of Starting Over's work, particularly around All Of Us or None organizing.
• Chrysalis: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing job readiness training, transitional employment, and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness and those with justice involvement. Direct peer in the reentry + workforce development intersection, and geographically overlapping.
• The Fortune Society: New York City-based reentry nonprofit offering housing, alternatives-to-incarceration programs, employment services, and advocacy. Direct peer across the full reentry service stack (housing, employment, legal, advocacy) with comparable lived-experience staffing philosophy.
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing employment services exclusively for people returning home from incarceration. Direct peer to Starting Over's Path 2 SEED and ReLeaf Works programs; a former Starting Over case manager previously worked at CEO, evidencing direct labor-market overlap.
• Rubicon Programs: Bay Area nonprofit providing reentry, workforce development, and supportive housing services. Direct peer across transitional housing and employment services for system-impacted populations, though operating in a different California region.
• A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project: Los Angeles-based reentry organization providing housing, case management, and advocacy for formerly incarcerated women and their families. Direct peer: Starting Over explicitly models its hybrid direct-services-plus-advocacy approach on A New Way of Life, and A New Way of Life's founder Susan Burton sits on Starting Over's board.
• All of Us or None: National organizing initiative of formerly incarcerated people, families, and allies advocating for civil rights post-conviction. Direct peer — Starting Over operates the Riverside chapter of All Of Us or None and the organization's organizing model is structurally aligned with this national movement.

Broad incumbents

• Volunteers of America (VOA): National nonprofit providing reentry, housing, behavioral health, and human services across the U.S. Broad incumbent: VOA operates transitional and supportive housing programs that overlap with Starting Over's transitional housing model, but as part of a much larger diversified portfolio rather than as a reentry specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soi__ca
• Facebookfacebook.com/startingoverinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/riversideallofusornone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starting-over-inc

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles32 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Starting Over