What Former Offenders, Habitat Affiliates and Corrections Professionals are Saying About Habitat for Humanity's Prison Partnerships

Offender Quotes:
“I am proud of my partnership with Habitat for Humanity. I volunteered with Memphis HFH during my incarceration. It made me feel good to know that I was able to do something productive that benefited low-income families. I told my family about it. They, too, felt good about what I had done. It reopened communication channels between us; we became a family again. It has been several years since I was released. I love walking by the three houses I helped build, touching them, feeling them and showing them to my relatives and friends. I still am involved with Habitat—but as a free-world partner now.”
—Former Shelby County Detention Center volunteer (Memphis, Tennessee)

“I volunteered with Ft. Hood Area HFH during my incarceration at the Gatesville Unit. I recently attended a dedication ceremony for one of the houses that the other women from Gatesville and I helped build. It was my first as a free-world volunteer. A few weeks after my release, I traveled back to Killeen to celebrate the completion of the house with the affiliate. Working on the Habitat houses made me feel good about myself. I held my head up high because I felt I had given something back to the community.”
—Former Gatesville Unit volunteer (Gatesville, Texas)

Habitat Affiliate Quotes:
“Our affiliate is all about maximizing resources in the community. The federal prison at Seymour-Johnson is one of those wonderful resources. For us, it has been a tremendous savings in money and time. We save $1,200 to $1,500 per house on the trusses that the offenders build, a couple of days with the pre-built walls panels and a day on the storage sheds. This frees up our affiliate volunteers to do other things. Also, groups of three to five men have permission to leave the prison and volunteer at the construction site on Saturdays. Another two men come five days a week. They work at the construction site and in the resale store. I wholeheartedly recommend the program to all affiliates.”
— Bill Edgerton, president, HFH of Goldsboro-Wayne Inc. (North Carolina)

“Personally, I think that prison partnerships are one of the best things Habitat does. As we focus on the ‘theology of the hammer,’ we break down barriers. The women from the state jail do meaningful work as part of their rehabilitation. A lot of local churches bring food for the construction crew. So, we bring our partner churches together with the women from the jail. And we see the benefits of different people coming together for the common cause of fulfilling Habitat’s mission.”
— John Alexander , executive director, Waco HFH (Texas)

Corrections Professionals:
“I can say honestly that our partnership with Habitat for Humanity has only been a positive one. Positive for Habitat because they have been able to tap into a well trained and highly motivated labor pool. Positive for the participating offenders who are gaining valuable vocational skills and an improved sense of self worth. And of course, positive for those families receiving the end product of the Habitat Prison Partnership -- a new home.”
— Reginald Wilkinson, Director, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction