Parolee housing program receives donation for second group home

In an effort to circumvent homelessness that can lead to recidivism, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has aided with a real estate purchase for Project 180, a local nonprofit that helps formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society.

In late 2022, the foundation provided $360,000 through a combination of grant funding and a low-interest loan to make the transaction possible. The funds were used to purchase a three-bedroom house that is home to six men who are working to rebuild their lives with the guidance and supervision provided by the 15-year-old organization. Without the home purchase, the men would have gone without critical social supports, leaving them vulnerable to a return to addiction or criminal behavior. 

“To be able to help people rebuild their lives as contributing citizens is an opportunity that will have a deep, lasting impact through creative charitable giving,” said Kirsten Russell, the vice president of community impact at the Community Foundation, in a press release. “Often the history of incarceration brings insurmountable obstacles toward the goal of becoming a valuable member of society, and providing this unique funding keeps that forward moment in the lives served by Project 180 on track by having a place to call home, which is especially challenging in our current housing market.”

Project 180 offers services to men exiting jail or prison, helping them to remain drug-free, maintain employment and avoid homelessness. The nonprofit provides workforce training, financial literacy programs and a holistic residential program for men in active recovery. 

Residential program participants live cooperatively with their roommates, sharing the responsibility of keeping a tidy house, cooking meals and repairing minor issues. They must abide by Project 180 expectations, including submitting to regular drug tests and participating in regular meetings that aid in recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. The program also introduces them to a social network of law-abiding citizens in active recovery.

“Some of Project 180’s residents require a second chance, but most are in need of third or fourth opportunities to learn a new way to live,” Project 180 CEO Barbara Richards said in the release. “Stability is extremely difficult to achieve after the life-interruption of incarceration, and even more so when one has acquired the disease of addiction.” 

This is the second home purchased by Project 180. The first was purchased in 2018. The organization plans to acquire a third in mid-2023. Each houses six men for up to two years. None of the residents has a history of a crime against a child, a sex crime, arson or major mental health disorder.