Welcome to our ministry!
My name is Tamika Williams, founder and Director of Lydia's House, Inc., a faith-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit operating at 336 Clinton Avenue in Albany, New York. At Lydia's House, we are committed to providing a monitored supportive housing program to assist single formerly incarcerated females as they navigate the transition from prison back into the local community
Returning former offenders face many challenges when returned to their community of origin after state incarceration. Women returning from incarceration often face overwhelming and immediate family, personal, financial and legal responsibilities without having the necessary grounding in order to act from a well-planned position of self-empowerment. At the present time, providers of re-entry housing and supportive services for returning female offenders are almost entirely nonexistent in Albany, New York. Despite Albany County's female parole population averaging about 90 women at any one time, our 6-beds of transitional housing at Lydia's House is the only space designed for returning females in Albany.
W e help female ex-offenders face challenges and barriers that male counterparts do not encounter, such as responsibility for one or more children upon release (75%), and histories of trauma related to emotional, physical and sexual abuse (60%), as well as barriers common to all ex-offenders such as substance abuse (85%), mental health issues, lack of education, and employers' resistance to hiring formerly incarcerated individuals. This seriously underserved population's failure to transition successfully leads to parole violations and possible recidivism. Our participants' histories require resolution through a unique and competent intervention before ex-offenders can learn to make positive personal change.
According to the NYS Division of Parole, the need for transitional programs like Lydia's House is huge. Lydia's House addresses this gap by offering an intensive transitional reentry program, and has partnering with local resources in order to enhance our unique program addressing the needs of women returning to the community. Through outreach, case management, mentoring, links to community resources and follow-up, we connect returning women and their families with the counseling, referrals and services needed in order to prevent recidivism and its serious impact on the individual, family and the community.
~ Tamika
