It seems all transitional homes or halfway houses are lumped into the same negative category. They are simply a last resort for ex-offenders if they cannot find any other suitable place to stay. Is there any transitional homes out there that really do anything besides collect rent and don’t give you any kind of support? What is out there?
There are a lot of transitional homes out there that really want to help the offenders turn their lives around. I know that Catholic New Creation’s Isaiah House in Houston provides you with everything you could possibly need including a mentor, job, financial support, substance abuse classes, a home-like atmosphere, great people, and a place you are proud to call home. Alot of halfway houses are just there to make money, but there are a lot that want to help. There is not such a stigma anymore to go to a halfway house, because more people are getting involved with helping ex-offenders and realizing that most offenders are good people who made bad choices.
I agree with Steven. Love really makes the world go around. Loving one another is sometimes difficult especially when there is conflict in personalities or lifestyle. Perhaps the term “tough love” is needed as situations develop. For pastoral care people, the tough love idea tends to get left for the other guy. It is easier to encourage someone else to handle the “bad guy” role, while the one who feels bad about a situation might bask in the glow of loving one another. It takes a village to raise a child. In the case of living with men or women who have been incarcerated, and without treating him or her as a child, the village is still needed to provide assistance for the transition period.Pray for the village.