Where To Next For ERI?
ERI is based in Huntsville, the criminal justice capital of Texas. We currently operate one property that can house up to six men, and these premises boast a 100% success rate. All ERI participants have successfully reentered the community without reoffending. This success has driven us to expand, and we will be adding an additional residence to that location. As more funding becomes available, we aim to purchase a larger acreage that can accommodate up to 100 people in tiny homes. We envision an onsite chapel and other facilities that will allow us to expand our support to offer not only faith-based programming, but also parole-mandated programming.
Most people who are released from prison have compulsory appointments to attend - such as weekly meetings with their parole officer. However, a number of these requirements can be delivered onsite, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, anger management classes, group therapy, and so forth. Due to many folks being released with no identification, it can take a while for them to be able to get a driver’s license let alone a car, which means attending these appointments or classes is very difficult. We believe that if we can offer these programs onsite, there will be fewer parole violations, and fewer people returning to custody. We also believe that by running holistic activities – such as charitable volunteering, workout classes, gardening, choir and music – it will enrich the ERI experience and ultimately reduce reoffending, making our community safer.