Reentry After Incarceration

• Call Goodwill Reentry Center (502-585-5221)

  Goodwill Opportunity Center (2820 W Broadway, Louisville): 502-585-5221, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Walk-in reentry career navigation, expungement clinics, and supportive services.

• Apply for SNAP & Medicaid on kynecthttps://kynect.ky.gov/benefits/kynect.ky.gov. Individuals returning from incarceration can apply immediately upon release for SNAP food assistance and active Medicaid healthcare coverage.

2 more online actions remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

• ☐A charger
• ☐Water and snacks where permitted

• ☐ Release, court, or supervision papers

  The responsible authority’s written instructions control required actions.

  If you do not have it: Contact the issuing authority through verified information and ask how to obtain a correct copy.

  Worth asking about — not confirmed: Ask the responsible authority whether an institutional record can be reviewed while a copy is requested.

• ☐ Identity and benefit records

  Different housing, work, care, and benefit processes may request different evidence.

  If you do not have it: Use the Lost Wallet and Get an ID journeys to inventory missing records and ask each receiving organization what it accepts.

  Worth asking about — not confirmed: Ask each program whether release or other institutional records can begin its review; acceptance is unverified.

4 more preparation details remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

1. 1.What release, reporting, court, or supervision instructions were provided?
2. 2.Which identity documents, phone access, medications, and transportation are available today?
3. 3.Is a place to stay actually confirmed?

Before leaving the counter, ask: “Is there anything else that could prevent this application from being approved today?”

2 more questions remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

• ☐ Expungement Certification Request (AOC-RU-009)

  form

  Check expungement eligibility certification: Kentucky requires a $40 certification before filing an expungement petition. This certification checks eligibility; it does not grant expungement.

  Gather:

  The opened form lists its personal-information and payment fields; eligibility and the later petition require separate review.

  Access or submit:

  Mail certification request only; use the live process page for online or in-person alternatives.

  Checked:

  2026-08-04

  https://www.kycourts.gov/AOC/Information-and-Technology/Pages/Expungement.aspx

  Limit: Certification costs $40 and expires after 30 days. Certification and the later petition are separate; eligibility and outcome are case-specific.

  If unavailable: Confirm the current source or edition with the official owner before relying on it.

3 more official form records remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

1. 1.Recheck the location, hours, appointment rules, and current document instructions before leaving.
2. 2.Keep originals and copies organized, and ask before handing over the only copy you have.
3. 3.At the counter, explain what is missing and ask what replacement or workaround evidence can be reviewed.

2 more before-you-go steps remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

• Several obligations and survival needs compete for the same day.

  • → Write down fixed reporting or court instructions first, then add food, medication, shelter, phone, and transportation actions.

• A criminal record may affect a program or application.

  • → Ask the program for its current rule and use qualified legal help for advice about the record.

• → If you are in immediate danger, or a medical or mental-health emergency is happening, use the Emergency help panel first — NOLO does not monitor or dispatch help, and it is not a substitute for contacting your supervising officer where that is required.
• → Ask the releasing or supervising organization which immediate reentry contacts it can confirm.

3 more fallback details remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

• 911: Immediate danger or medical emergency. Call 911.
• 988: Mental health, emotional distress, suicide, or substance-use crisis. Call or text 988.
• Kentucky 211: Housing, food, utilities, transportation, and community services. Dial 211. Or text your ZIP code to 898211. Kentucky 211 answers 24/7.
• Never Use Alone: Overdose-response spotting when using alone. Call 800-484-3731. Or 877-696-1996. If an overdose is already happening, call 911.

• The Kentucky Court of Justice says a criminal record report — an expungement certification — must be filed with a petition to expunge a conviction, and that the cost for an expungement certification is $40. It publishes three routes: online through its certification site, in person at the Administrative Office of the Courts drive-thru window at 1001 Vandalay Drive, Frankfort, Monday through Friday (except state holidays) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, or by mail using form RU-009 with a $40 check. It names AOC form 496.3 for an application to vacate and expunge a felony conviction and AOC form 497.2 for a petition following acquittal, dismissal, or failure to indict, and states that Kentucky State Police reviews all convictions. Whether a specific record is eligible is the certification's purpose to determine — it is not something this page decides.

  Source: Kentucky Court of Justice — Expungement Certification Process — checked 2026-08-05

  https://www.kycourts.gov/AOC/Information-and-Technology/Pages/Expungement.aspx

• The Kentucky Court of Justice publishes its official AOC forms in a searchable index. It states forms are searchable by keyword and topic, and that a known form number may be entered into the keyword search. The court publishes this disclaimer: these forms "are not a substitute for legal advice and if you have difficulty filling out these forms, then you may wish to consult with an attorney." Eviction cases in Kentucky are forcible detainer actions and use the AOC 216 through 220 series; the document that authorizes removal is a Warrant for Possession. NOLO shows this index so a person can recognize the document they were handed. It does not tell anyone what to file.

  Source: Kentucky Court of Justice — Legal Forms — checked 2026-08-05

  https://www.kycourts.gov/Legal-Forms/Pages/default.aspx

Other routes for this situation are not verified yet. Absence from this list means NOLO has not checked it — not that it does not exist.

5 more checked source records remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.

• • Release, reporting, supervision, court, and legal requirements
• • Program eligibility, criminal-record screening, admission, and availability

• • This guide does not make a legal, medical, safety, eligibility, or discharge decision.
• • A search result does not confirm funding, capacity, acceptance, or availability.

1 more limits and agency decisions remain in the full online guide. This two-sheet packet keeps the first actions and a bounded handoff; it does not change or delete the authored guide.