Serving Fresh Starts

Lindsay Brown has always had a heart for service. After eaming her degree in social work, she joined the nonprofit sector - at first in homeless services - and never looked back.

"I've always been somebody who cares so much about social justice and giving people chances. On a personal level, I've been in a position where I needed support, which is why I'm standing here today,"

says Brown, who currently serves as the chief programs officer of St. Joseph The Worker. In December, The Worker celebrated the grand opening of Mom's House, a reentry housing program in partnership with the Televerde Foundation and Andre House that provides short-term housing and job readiness support to women returning home from Perryville Prison.

"Many individuals leave incarceration with no family to stay with and limited resources beyond a $50 debit card and the clothes they were wearing. But what people may not know is that they also leave with a strong desire to rebuild their lives."

Six months before reentering society, participants enroll in the Televerde Foundation's PATHS program, which provides personal and professional coaching aimed at reducing recidivism. After graduation comes Mom's House, a calm, clean and productive home base while the women search for quality full-time employment. Once employed, The Worker's 90-day transitional housing program, Workforce Villages, helps build life skills and financial literacy with an emphasis on saving an average of $5,000.

Brown pinches herself every day that she's able to make such a tangible impact on the lives of women in need.

"I spent the first half of my career on the frontlines, working alongside people during some of the hardest moments of their life," she says. "I've seen first-hand how the right support at the right time can completely change someone's trajectory. I believe people are more than the worst thing that's ever happened to them, and everyone deserves an opportunity to rebuild with dignity."