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Catholic New Creation, Inc., opened its first transitional home, the Isaiah House Project, in July, 2007, and it is located at 1912 North Main St, Houston, 77009. It has taken five (5) years to take our vision from inception to fruition. This time was used to prudently assemble a dedicated Board of Directors, hire a director, find qualified employees and locate the ideal, strategic location for Isaiah House. This location is in an urban redevelopment zone, located directly on North Main Street between the Salvation Army and the La Nueva Casa de Amigos. We also provide holistic care to offenders who are unable to reside at Isaiah House. We provide the non-resident with mentoring, employment assistance, substance abuse programming, emotional and spiritual counseling.
There is not another transitional home which accomplishes so much with so little. Isaiah House residents are members of the Ministry Outreach Team and have assisted a multitude of homeless/transient brothers and sisters by feeding and clothing them, acting as a mail drop, facilitating social service intervention and just being someone to which they may talk. Currently, we have a growing waiting list of over 50 offenders wishing to reside at the Isaiah House. Isaiah House is approved for only ten (10) residents. In order to meet the overwhelming need of additional bed space, Catholic New Creation desperately needs to establish three additional homes in strategic locations similar to the Isaiah House. This will allow us to minister to the in-need and at-risk as well as the transitioning offenders. Unlike a majority of "half-way houses", Catholic New Creation, Inc. addresses the complete spectrum of its clients' needs and the deficiencies of the neighborhoods in which the homes will be located, including:
- Housing (free until the resident has obtained employment and has a cushion of savings)
- Assignment of a mentor who will guide the offender through their transformation
- In-house substance abuse classes
- Employment assistance; with a database of over 150 pre-contacted employers willing to hire our ex-offenders
- Transportation and bus tokens
- Church membership and involvement
- On-site clothing and hygiene needs
- A rigorous daily schedule to encourage accountability and responsibility
- Financial, family and spiritual counseling
- Educational and vocational assistance (having at least a G.E.D. is mandatory)
- Catholic New Creation, Inc. will start businesses (e.g. landscaping, hot-shot trucking, carpentry crew) which will employ the ex-offender and the homeless and eventually be sold to the employees at a fair price
- Community service and neighborhood missionary projects for the needy
Approximately 60,000 Texas prisoners are released each year, and the greatest numbers of Texas offenders (26%, 15,600) are paroled to Harris County. A few alarming statistics concerning offenders are:
- Texas offender population has increased from 28,543 in 1980 to 160,000 in 2007.
- Texas offender recidivism within three (3) years of release was an intolerable 35% (57,750) in 2006.
- In the last 15 years, Texas spending on public safety and corrections increased 223% while expenditures on higher education rose only 44%.
- There are approximately 15,000 homeless people in Houston.
Inmates are released with little hope for reintegration into society. As a rule, most offenders will return to their communities under-skilled, under-educated and try to compete in an ever-advanced technological society. To make matters even more difficult, the government has deemed it necessary to withhold educational funds for the incarcerated, even though it is documented that the higher the education level the lower the recidivism rate. Traditional transitional houses or "half-way" houses, do not substantially address the core issues of recidivism. Employment, money and independence do not equal success and prevent the releasee from re-offending. That is why Catholic New Creation, Inc. addresses the emotional, spiritual and long-term support requirements that solidify the offenders' transformations.
We need your help! We desperately need funds to open at least three additional transitional homes while meeting the operational needs of the Isaiah House and the financial needs of our clients. We hope that you will become a spiritual and financial partner with us in our mission of transforming lives through Christ and improving our communities. God Bless You!
Catholic New Creation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. Donations are tax deductible. If you'd like to make a secure donation through Paypal, click on the Donate button below.
Catholic New Creation, Inc. believes that its operations should be transparent to its extended family. Please click here for a complete overview of us.
