The Power of Support: Transitional Housing to Help Women on Parole
By: Kim Behrens
Updated: February 27, 2013
BLOOMINGTON- Teresa Orrick is a working woman who has turned her life around.
She has a full time job, and enjoys helping others.
But this wasn't always the story.
"Many drug convictions," Orrick admits. "I wrote bad checks, I stole money from my job. I just wasn't a very good person."
In her twenties Orrick began using crack cocaine.
It wasn't long before she became an addict.
"I got divorced. My ex-husband got custody of my daughter. And my using just took off," Orrick explained.
She did time in at Dwight Correctional Center, and wound up behind bars again for five more years.
"When you get out of prison, so many people have already judged you. They've already decided not to give you a chance."
But a new outreach organization called "Labyrinth Services" is changing the trend.
It plans to renovate a West Bloomington Apartment Building in the 500 block of North Oak Street into shelter for local women on parole.
"The research has been done," said Labyrinth Co-President Mary Campbell. "It proves that if you provide mentoring, you provide support, you provide wrap around services women will stay out of prison.
Five units will be turned into one person apartments, with the sixth used for counseling services.
The hope is it'll keep women from going back to their old ways.
"They get a job, they get their kids back. They get back on the tax role. It makes a major difference," Campbell added.
That kind of support helped Orrick beat the odds.
Now she's paying it forward as a mentor for the project.
Determined to help others succeed--she's won't take 'No' for an answer.
"Don't tell me, 'You can't do this because I'm a felon. Don't tell me I can't do this because I'm an addict. Because right now, I'm going to tell you, 'You can.'" Said Orrick.
Only women from McLean County will qualify to live in the transitional housing.
Labyrinth Services plans to renovate the building in May.
Move-ins are scheduled to begin this summer.
She has a full time job, and enjoys helping others.
But this wasn't always the story.
"Many drug convictions," Orrick admits. "I wrote bad checks, I stole money from my job. I just wasn't a very good person."
In her twenties Orrick began using crack cocaine.
It wasn't long before she became an addict.
"I got divorced. My ex-husband got custody of my daughter. And my using just took off," Orrick explained.
She did time in at Dwight Correctional Center, and wound up behind bars again for five more years.
"When you get out of prison, so many people have already judged you. They've already decided not to give you a chance."
But a new outreach organization called "Labyrinth Services" is changing the trend.
It plans to renovate a West Bloomington Apartment Building in the 500 block of North Oak Street into shelter for local women on parole.
"The research has been done," said Labyrinth Co-President Mary Campbell. "It proves that if you provide mentoring, you provide support, you provide wrap around services women will stay out of prison.
Five units will be turned into one person apartments, with the sixth used for counseling services.
The hope is it'll keep women from going back to their old ways.
"They get a job, they get their kids back. They get back on the tax role. It makes a major difference," Campbell added.
That kind of support helped Orrick beat the odds.
Now she's paying it forward as a mentor for the project.
Determined to help others succeed--she's won't take 'No' for an answer.
"Don't tell me, 'You can't do this because I'm a felon. Don't tell me I can't do this because I'm an addict. Because right now, I'm going to tell you, 'You can.'" Said Orrick.
Only women from McLean County will qualify to live in the transitional housing.
Labyrinth Services plans to renovate the building in May.
Move-ins are scheduled to begin this summer.
