Life Under Construction assists former incarcerated women by providing safe, transitional housing. This gives them the stable foundation they need to become positive members of their communities. It will also lead to lower rates of re-offence and safer neighborhoods, which helps the city as a whole.
For many women coming out of prison, a safe place to transition is the foundation for successful reintegration to everyday life – but it becomes more challenging every year. Housing costs keep going up and legally, landlords are free to discriminate against ex-prisoners. This unsustainable situation is why we decided to take action.
Our Residential Program provides women who are on parole from State or federal prisons with a temporary place to call home. For most women this is a critical period in which they not only transition to a life outside institutions, but also begin the process of reintegrating back into the community and adopting lifestyle changes that contribute to long-term life success.
Many women arrive at our residence after a series of conflicts with the law or terms of incarceration and face the challenges of poverty, compromised life skills, low education and lack of familiar support. Residence staff work alongside each resident to address her unique needs by assisting with the development of a life plan that incorporates education, employment, rebuilding family ties and the overall re-entry into community after spending months, sometimes years, in institutions.
Our residents come to us with many obstacles to overcome in the process of building new lives for themselves.
- Economically disadvantaged; homeless or at risk of being homeless
- Average educational achievement score is at a 7th grade level
- In need of medical, mental health and dental care
- In need of out-patient treatment for addiction to drugs or alcohol
- Have children; many lost custody due to incarceration
- Have the goal of re-establishing family relationships
- Have little or no work experience
- Have a felony on their criminal record that makes finding employment especially challenging
Our housing program provides individual and group therapy, referrals for medical and mental health care, dental and vision care, job readiness training, twelve step-recovery groups, as well as emotional and spiritual support. Residents are encouraged to set realistic and attainable goals for their future. Our program is unique because we adjust it to meet the needs of the women on a case-by-case basis, with the same ultimate goal: to keep them from re-offending and returning to incarceration.
At Life Under Construction we support women leaving prison in their quest to become positive members of society by providing safe transitional housing to those with no alternatives. We focus on people who could most benefit from such housing and who are motivated to change their lives.