Editor’s note: This article is by Jordan Cuddemi, a staff writer for the Valley News. It was first published on Nov. 26.
HARTFORD — New housing for former inmates who are transitioning from incarceration to community living is slated to open in Hartford Village this winter.
Dismas of Vermont, a nonprofit agency that operates three other transitional residences, is halfway through with extensive renovations of an 140-year-old house on Maple Street.
Jan Tarjan, Dismas of Vermont’s executive director, said she expects the Hartford building will house its first residents this winter. The home could accommodate up to 11 former prisoners at a time.
A 12th person, someone who isn’t transitioning from prison, such as a college student, also will live in the house. The living situation is designed to “normalize behavior,” Tarjan said.
“There is no overnight supervision,” she added. “We haven’t created a jail there.”
The nonprofit is within $20,000 of raising the roughly $450,000 needed for the renovation, Tarjan said.
Dismas received approval for the residence from the town in summer 2011. Shortly after that initial decision, the leaders of a nearby church filed an appeal, arguing students, parents and residents would feel uncomfortable with Dismas House nearby.
The legal fight went to the Vermont Environmental Court, which upheld the town approvals.
Tarjan said Dismas House will give former prisoners a second chance. She said many of the individuals who stay at Dismas are furloughed from prison — or discharged with conditions of release — but are still supervised.
She said some individuals may transition into a category of requiring less supervision from parole and probation officers while they are at Dismas, and some may even finish their full sentences while they are there.
Dismas officials review each application three times, and don’t allow convicted sex offenders to live in the house.
“People who are coming out of incarceration are getting a fresh start,” she said. “And you can’t get started without a place to live.”
Tarjan said the state requires individuals who are transitioning out of prison before their sentence is fully completed to have a stable place to live as a condition of release. Hartford’s Dismas House will help bridge that gap for many furloughed inmates who are authorized to be released, but don’t have a place to go.
“I think we are demonstrating a creative way to reduce the incarceration rate,” Tarjan said. “That is important because over-incarceration really does pull apart families, communities, and it essentially reduces the resources because these individuals aren’t out there to work and be productive in the community.”
Prison housing in Vermont costs roughly $59,000 per year per inmate, Tarjan said. Dismas House costs roughly $19,000 per year per prisoner.
Tarjan said the individuals are asked to commit to a minimum of a three-month stay and to pay a program fee of $75 a week.
“Of the residents who stay with us at least three months, of those, 68 to 75 percent of them do transition into their own housing,” Tarjan said. “That means a whole lot when you think about it in the context of how hard it is to come out of prison.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.