Organization
The agency provides housing and intensive wrap-around services to those impacted by incarceration. 137 men and women were served last year and an additional 1,800 were assisted with basic needs. The agency co-signs a 12-month lease with a client, slowly increasing the amount the client pays as they get back on their feet. The agency was created by Society of St. Vincent dePaul and operated as a program until it spun off as a stand-alone agency in 2012. It still maintains a close relationship with Catholic churches and volunteers.
Partnership
Affordable housing is at a crisis point in the St. Louis region, especially if you have a criminal history. Up to now, the agency has partnered with area landlords to offer housing, but has seen rent increase significantly in recent years. Finding landlords willing to rent to ex-offenders, particularly women with children, and who provide safe, secure housing is increasingly difficult. For this reason, the agency has begun purchasing and managing rental units throughout the City. The Brown Sisters Foundation issued a challenge grant to attract new and increased donations to help establish an Operating Reserve Fund to provide repairs/maintenance of these units and ensure long-term sustainability.