The Future of Transitional Housing

1

Contents Introduction ............... 3 The Problem ............... 4 The Solution ................ 8 The Possibility ........... 14 The Testimony .......... 16 Contact Us ............... 18

2

Introduction

F

or the last ten years, the Ark of Hope has been dedicated to

providing a “home� to our clients and improving their quality of life.

Founded in August of 2010, to serve an abandoned population in our community, The Ark of Hope’s major emphasis is to provide housing for formerly incarcerated individuals who have a dual diagnosis or a cooccurring disorder of mental illness and substance abuse.

The Ark of Hope is a comprehensive Transitional Living Program committed to extending quality and affordable living services to those who need housing assistance while receiving treatment in the community.

3

4

The Problem

A

fter three decades of explosive growth, the

nation’s prison population has reached some grim milestones: More than 1 in 100 American adults are behind bars. One in nine black men, ages 20 to 34, are serving time, as are 1 in 36 adult Hispanic men.

Nationwide, the prison population hovers at almost 1.6 million, which surpasses all other countries for which there are reliable figures. The 50 states last year spent about $44 billion in tax dollars on corrections, up from nearly $11 billion in the year 1987.

Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, and Oregon devote as much money or more to corrections as they do to higher education.

These statistics, contained in a new report from the Pew Center on the States, point to a terrible waste of money and lives. They underscore the urgent challenge facing the federal government and cashstrapped states to reduce their overreliance on incarceration without

5

sacrificing public safety.

locked up is essential for

on policy changes in Texas

The key, as some states are

maintaining a historic

and Kansas that have

learning, is getting smarter

crime drop since the

started to reduce their

about distinguishing

1990’s.

outsized prison populations

between violent criminals

In fact, the relationship

and address recidivism by

and dangerous repeat

between imprisonment

investing in ways to

offenders, who need a

and crime control is murky.

improve the success rates

prison cell, and low-risk

Some portion of the

for community supervision,

offenders, who can be

decline is attributable to

expanding treatment and

handled with effective

tough sentencing and

diversion programs, and

community supervision,

release policies. But crime

increasing use of sanctions

electronic monitoring and

is also affected by things

other than prison for minor

mandatory drug treatment

like economic trends and

parole and probation

programs, combined in

employment and drug-

violations. Recently, the

some cases with shorter

abuse rates.

Supreme Court and the

sentences.

Persuading public

States that lagged

United States Sentencing

behind the national

Commission announced

officials to adopt a more

average in rising

sensible changes in the

rational, cost-effective

incarceration rates during

application of harsh

approach to prison policy

the 1990’s actually

mandatory minimum drug

is a daunting prospect,

experienced a steeper

sentences.

however, not least

decline in crime rates than

because building and

states above the national

country may finally be

running jailhouses has

average, according to the

waking up to the fiscal and

become a major industry.

Sentencing Project, a

moral costs of bulging

nonprofit group.

prisons.

Criminal behavior partly explains the size of

A rising number of

the prison population, but

states are broadening their

incarceration rates have

criminal sanctions with

continued to rise while

new options for low-risk

crime rates have fallen.

offenders that are a lot

Any effort to reduce the

cheaper than

prison population must

incarceration but still

consider the blunderbuss

protect the public and

impact of get-tough

hold offenders

sentencing laws adopted

accountable.

across the United States beginning in the 1970’s.

Many Americans have

These are signs that the

© 2020 The New York Times Company

In New York, the crime rate has continued to drop despite efforts to reduce

come to believe, wrongly,

the number of nonviolent

that keeping an outsized

drug offenders in prison.

chunk of the population

The Pew report focuses

6

7

8

The Solution

H

omelessness is a direct correlation to recidivism.

Yearly, approximately 700,000 individuals return home from state prisons in the United States. In addition, 9 million are released from county jails.

Over 10% of those coming in and out of prison and jails are homeless in the months preceding and following their incarceration.

(Council of State Governments, 2016) Being homeless, unstably housed, or living in a high crime neighborhood all heighten an individual’s risk of re-offending (Andrews & Bonta, 1995).

Among ex-offenders, those with mental illness have a higher than average rates of homelessness and housing insecurity (Aidala et al., 2014; Brown etal., 2013; Council of State Governments, 2006; Fries et al., 2015). Homelessness is not just a public safety issue but a public health and community issue.

At Terrell State Hospital, the region’s psychiatric hospital, a day costs $401.00 per patient. A day

9

in the Dallas county jail

(White, 2019). $33,600.00

etc.). The Ark of Hope also

costs $70.00 per inmate,

was spent on high utilizers

provides the opportunity to

plus the expenses of

(repeat homeless

serve as permanent

booking and police time

offenders) in Feb. 2019 If

housing for clients if they

(Pishko, 2018).

the 321 unduplicated

choose to retain the

homeless people were in

residence in the

housing with wrap-around

jail February 2019 were in

transitional living home.

services in The Ark of Hope

supportive housing, the

The Ark of Hope provides

Transitional Living Program

cost would have been

housing, management of

is $40.00 per day per

$341, 544.00 (a savings of

residents, documentation

individual. This is

$186,336.00). Supportive

of all client’s whereabouts

comparable to other

housing is only two-thirds

with weekly reporting to

supportive housing

the cost of incarceration of

Probation Officers and the

programs funded through

homeless people.

Court Systems.

Comparatively,

Continuum of Care (lead

The Ark of Hope

homeless agency funded

Project Approach and

recently entered into an

by the U.S. Department of

Program Activities

MOU with God’s Truest

Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness) in Dallas County.

This information shows that connecting criminal justice-involve homeless clients to permanent housing is much more cost effective than to provide crisis level services as clients repeatedly cycle through the criminal justice system.

In February 2019, there were 341 (321 unduplicated) homeless people booked into jail with an average of 37 days in jail per person (white, 2019). Dallas County spent $572,880.00 ($539,280.00 unduplicated) in February 2019 on the 341 homeless people in jail

The Ark of Hope program has its roots in providing housing for Criminal Justice involved clients. The Ark of Hope presents a unique collaboration with Dallas County Criminal Justice Agencies, Homeless shelters, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division, and other community-based housing programs to provide housing and case management services for an array of clients. The Ark of Hope uses existing community relationships to provide other needed wrap around services (i.e.

Transportation, food, treatment services, medication management,

Miracles who receives a grant from Dallas County Community Supervision and Corrections Department. This grant is an incentive grant which provides vouchers for additional services for clients with both substance abuse and mild mental health disorders. These clients are referred to The Ark of Hope for housing through the Dallas County 4C and STAC Court diversion programs.

The MOU with the Ark of Hope and God’s Truest Miracles was established as a collaborative initiative to improve the overall care and services to clients that are returning from a Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Unit.

10

11

Capacity and Capabilities The Ark of Hope program staff provides a variety of services to our clients such as serving as court liaisons for multiple courts, connecting clients to community behavioral

•

State licensed

medication aid •

Specialty trained

The Ark of Hope is responsible for

remain in the community on average 4 times longer

clients in the home

than other similar housing

The Ark of Hope has

providers. The average

the capacity to provide

length of stay for mental

housing services to 60

health clients is 4 years and

clients in our multiple

for clients returning from

facilities.

substance abuse treatment is 90 days.

Performance Management

Geographic Area and Target Population

administering all grants administration

that Ark of Hope clients

lined staff to monitor

health resources and other services.

Our current data shows

Many clients that

/management and

qualify for the Ark of Hope

reporting requirements to

services are released back

eligible criminal justice

the referring agency. The

into homelessness and

involved clients (those in

Ark of Hope staffs convene

joblessness only to return to

jail, homeless clients, those

at regular meetings and

jail repeatedly; often for

participating in specialty

provide written monthly

petty crimes such as

programs, and those

client progress reports and

criminal trespassing and

under community

ensure information for

loitering. The goal of the

supervision).

reports and expenses are

Ark of Hope is to reduce

collected and processed.

rates of recidivism among

years or older (any

The Ark of Hope is

Criminal Justice involved

gender). Housing is for

clients.

adults with no children

committed to providing quality and affordable

Hence, reports and

The Ark of Hope serves

Clients must be 18-

living with them.

living services to those who

information from the

need assistance with

program manager are

mental health issues,

discussed at the monthly

physical issues, and

meetings. Additionally, we

substance abuse\

perform data analysis

currently receives no

substance recovery.

comparing recidivism rates

federal or state funds and

The Ark of Hope

of program clients post

has no debt beyond basic

provides the following:

housing with their pre-

operating expenses. The

housing recidivism rates to

Ark of Hope has applied

comfortable living

determine if the program is

for a grant through the

environment

accomplishing the goal to

North Central Texas

reduce rates of recidivism

Council of Governments.

•

• worker

Clean and

Masters level case

Sustainability The Ark of Hope

among this population.

12

13

rent, which is then sub-

with the part of your

rented to our clients. We

organizational priorities

he Ark of Hope seeks

do this by identifying

and values, that seeks to

to partner with both

property in our local area

help those who are the

individuals and,

that fits the room

forgotten men and

organizations. If you are a

requirements we need to

women of communities, by

government agency, a for

house our clients.

offering volunteer support

The Possibility

T

locally and regionally.

or non-profit business, a charitable foundation or private individual, we can

Sustainability and

help you realize a part of

Future Growth

engagement

your vision that may be based in establishing a

Promote employee

The Ark of Hope is

positive social impact in

currently in the initial

the world.

stages of purchasing

of Hope offers a range of

We are growing an

Partnering with The Ark

property in South Dallas,

tailored opportunities for

effective and sustainable

developing a site plan to

your members /

business model that

be approved by the city of

employees to share their

creates impact by serving

Dallas, and building a

expertise and develop

an abandoned population

series of multi-bedroom

their skills by supporting our

in our community, The Ark

homes in a village

clients or engaging directly

of Hope’s major emphasis

campus, to provide our

with those who may yet still

is to provide housing for

clients with an drug and

be in the correctional

formerly incarcerated

alcohol free environment.

system.

individuals who have a

The Ark of Hope is

dual diagnosis or a co-

financially stable and able

occurring disorder of

to provide services at its

mental illness and

Engaging with Like

current level for the next 10

substance abuse.

years. However, our desire

Minds

The Ark of Hope brings

is to grow our model and

together partners and

expand the impact of our

supporters with aligned

organization. Our model is

goals to create transitional

only limited by land and

housing solutions for a

capital investment.

segment of the American population who desperately needs it.

Currently our ability to

An alliance with The Ark of Hope will help you expand your community profile and broaden your perspectives through the many formal and informal

Creating Impact That

opportunities we offer to

Lasts

tough the hurting, help those in need, feel the

grow at a greater speed By partnering with The

weight of the burden of

the fact that our model is

Ark of Hope, you have an

others, and change the

based on space that we

automatic connection

lives of others forevermore.

and scale is only limited by

14

Elder Charles Rollins 15

The Testimony

M

r. Rollins has quite the story to tell. While serving

out a prison sentence, he found Christ during the lowest point in his life.

After his release from prison, he had nowhere to turn, but The Ark of Hope provided his ticket to redemption and a reimagined new life.

These Days he is married, a church elder, and owns his own car. He has rebuilt a new life with the help and of The Ark of Hope. He is also been cleared to go back into the prison system, to preach and share his story with current inmates. He has worked with Etho Pugh for the past 7 years, and his story speaks volumes to the mission and success of The Ark of Hope.

16 16

Etho T. Pugh, MA Criminal Justice Founder / CEO The Ark of Hope

Contact Us The Ark of Hope 701 Ashbury Dr Midlothian, TX 76065 w: www.AoHDallas.org e: ethpugh@yahoo.com p: 682.554.9996

Etho T. Pugh, Jr. Service Coordinator The Ark of Hope

C.J. Johnson Medication Aide / Case Worker The Ark of Hope

17

18