About Exodus
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Without loving care and structured guidance, they are vulnerable to returning to their self-defeating ways and negatively impacting the future of their children.
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Exodus Ministries is a 501 (c) (3) non-denominational Christian organization established in 1987. We assist female ex-offenders from all ethnic backgrounds that are re-entering society after incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system and have demonstrated a willingness to make positive changes in their life. These women are dealing with the residual pain of having been separated from their children for a long period of time and do not have the immediate financial resources to sustain their family. Exodus helps them and their families to become productive members of society by serving their spiritual and physical needs.
Ex-offenders face many life issues and the stigma of being in prison. Most have struggled with substance abuse and have been abandoned by their husbands. Without loving care and structured guidance, they are vulnerable to returning to their self-defeating ways and negatively impacting the future of their children.
It is typical for an inmate leaving prison to arrive in Dallas with only $50, no job, just a few friends, and with little hope. Old criminal habits are just waiting in the shadows. While the average worker makes several thousand decisions a day; an inmate makes less than a hundred a day. This is because everything in prison is regimented. So when they touch ground in the free world, they are overwhelmed with responsibility, yet void of training, a support system, or a spirit-centered life. Most are destined to fail.
A recent study prepared by the Criminal Justice Analysis Team showed that of those being released from Texas prisons, 31% would be back in prison within three years. The National Average is 62%. A most alarming fact is that children of ex-offenders have nearly a 70% chance of being incarcerated. The key to ending generational crime is rebuilding the family by providing a support structure, instilling a sound value system, building life-skills and by providing employment assistance.
Through the Exodus program model, ex-offenders are provided a chance to change their destiny along with that of their children. At Exodus they re-invent themselves by developing life and money management skills, becoming employed, starting a savings account, and most importantly – becoming a positive influence for their children to make correct life choices. Purpose, self-esteem, courage and trust are integrated into the “new” parent role model and passed on to their children where the wounds from incarceration are most often the deepest.
The Exodus program has three primary objectives for its residents:
- To decrease the number of ex-offenders who become homeless and
unemployed, eventually committing new crime and returning to prison. - To assist ex-offenders in obtaining employment and managing finances
so they can re-establish a positive self-sufficient lifestyle. - To re-unite ex-offenders with their families and teach them the life-skills
necessary for daily living through counseling and training services.
As part of the program, participants receive the following social services:
- Housing Services: Fully furnished single-family apartment and all basic living needs at no cost. Graduates get to keep the furniture and all accessories when they graduate the program.
- Childcare Services: Pre-school, day-care, after-school programs and summer camps
- Employment and Job Preparation: Job readiness, job search and placement
- Personal Mentoring: Life management and parenting skills
- Financial Planning and Management: Family budgeting, financial planning and banking fundamentals