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​People living on the streets, behind bars and with addiction have names and faces.
AHI advocates for them and shares their stories, working with individuals and
organizations in North Carolina and beyond.

About AHI & OLLI at Duke

AHI

AHI’s mission is to educate about, advocate for and provide support for the individuals and organizations involved with addiction, homelessness and Incarceration. Created by Mark Hall, AHI works with diverse partners to raise awareness of these issues and to put a human face on those affected by them, in North Carolina and beyond.

What we do: Through public education, targeted advocacy, events, courses/workshops and conversation we share about the issues surrounding addiction, homelessness and incarceration.
Click here to contact us. 

OLLI at Duke

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke—popularly known as OLLI at Duke—is a learning community that seeks to engage the minds, elevate the spirit and foster the well-being of more than 2,600 members, It offers hundreds of courses annually along with other educational programs, volunteer opportunities and social activities. It is part of Duke University Continuing Studies.
Click here to contact OLLI at Duke.
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"You have turned your mistake into amazing service." ​
                                                                                                                                                           —Class participant                                                                                                               

Meet Mark Hall

How would you characterize the “typical” North Carolina prisoner? Have you wondered how you could help people in prison? Do you want to better understand the prison system? If you answered yes to any of these, consider taking a class from Mark Hall.  Mark Hall knows these issues because he served ten years in prison for financial crimes. He served his time in a variety of correctional facilities in North Carolina and learned from fellow prisoners about the addiction, homelessness, and other issues in their lives. Mark completed his probation in June 2020. 

While at the Orange County Correctional Facility, Mark served as a chaplain’s assistant and helped facilitate educational events for his fellow prisoners. He first heard about OLLI there when he met a member who came to work as a volunteer at the facility. Soon, he found himself surrounded by an ever-growing family of OLLI members. Mark coordinated several presentations by OLLI members at the facility, and while still in prison, he spoke at an OLLI Conscious Aging program to a very enthusiastic audience.
    
While incarcerated and in a work-release program, Mark started working at the Durham Rescue Mission, a faith-based organization serving people from across the country. Their clients come from all walks of life (much like prison populations) and have varying needs. Mark is the developer of training and educational programs that complement the Mission’s core program, called the Victory Program. His imprisonment gives Mark “street cred” when meeting new clients and leading classes and group discussions. Often formerly imprisoned people can’t believe that some who looks like him (middle-aged white man) served 10 years in prison—that goes to show that even prisoners have some misconceptions about who goes to prison.
    
Mark explains that the Mission has two residential and educational sites: The Center for Hope in downtown Durham, and the Good Samaritan Inn, which houses women and children and has a healthcare center. All Mission clients receive medical, dental, and vision care. Mark works at the Center for Hope and develops a host of programs to help their clients better understand how to successfully navigate America today, such as driver’s license restoration, how to drive a forklift, computers, ServSafe®, and many more. Mark has many more programming ideas. On a personal note, Mark likes to read (especially history), garden, and his home. As soon has he is able, Mark and his wife plan to resume the traveling that they used to do.

Mark looks forward to teaching a class via Zoom. A huge advantage he sees in remote learning is that speakers from anywhere can be brought in via Zoom, and learners can attend from almost anywhere, including prisons (depending on each facility’s regulations). He finds teaching a “wonderful experience” and enjoys helping others better understand the common thread between addiction, homelessness, and imprisonment. And or all of these can happen to any one of us. He emphasizes the difference between a “criminal” and one who has committed “criminal behavior.” After all, no one plans to get addicted to anything, live without a home, or go to prison.
Connect with Mark at 
markhall@facelessnomore.org
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"I'm so impressed with your honesty,
your compassion and your willingness to share." ​     
                                                                                                                                                                      —Class participant