Reentering society after incarceration, addiction or homelessness requires more than a place to call home.
Leaders at Brookside Community Development Corporation say housing is just one part of its reentry program.
"It's life saving. It's very important that people can come out of prison and say, 'I can go over here and get some help.' Instead of saying, 'I gotta go over here and sit on the corner and wait for somebody to give me a little change,'" Ricky Wilson said.
Wilson spent just over 18 years of his life in prison.
"I got out and I just had made up my mind. I said I got to do something better," Wilson said.
That something better, started with Brookside Community Reentry, a program created by Brookside Community Church.
Part of the reentry program includes the possibility of joining the Isaiah House Residential Program, an initiative Wilson is a part of.
"We've got 42 properties servicing 67 individuals. We have transitional and traditional housing people can graduate out of," Keith Smith, Brookside CDC's Housing Director said.
The properties are located on Indy's near east side near Brookside Community Church.
The reentry program helps facilitate people back into society by connecting them with a sustainable living.
"We've got great partnerships with Recycle Force and Keys2Work to be able to help them facilitate into the work," Smith said. "So that helps them provide the income to be able to be part of our housing program, but then also to make a living for themselves as well."
For about 9 months, Wilson lived in a transitional home with other men. While he was there, he took the initiative to clean up the property and keep up with landscaping.
"My time was up to be in one of the houses," Wilson said. "Now, I got my own apartment. This means everything. I can go to sleep and ain't got to worry about nobody else."
Brookside's Reentry program also focuses on transportation, employment, financial, emotional and spiritual barriers that cause recidivism.
Now that Wilson is in a traditional home, he's continuing with the programming Brookside offers. After 2-4 years, the goal is for participants to be able to purchase their own home.
Because of Brookside's commitment to the community, Christian Theological Seminary awarded the organization a $35,000 Faith in Action grant.
Watch: How the Faith & Action grant is helping Brookside CDC
The grants aim to help organizations working to reduce poverty in our community.
"That's what everyone wants. Everyone wants to be able to be thriving and to have a stable, thriving home," Lindsey Nell Rabinowitch, Director of the Faith & Action Project said.
The funding is helping with maintenance and staffing for the Isaiah House Residential Program.
Since 2017, the Faith & Action Program has awarded $425,000 in grants.
Watch: Why was the Faith & Action grant created
"People report back to us how their neighborhood has been changed, or how their families have been changed, or how their organization's been changed and empowered to do even more for the community, which excites us. That's what we're here for," David Mellot, President of Christian Theological Seminary said.
Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Brookside's Reentry Program does intake for new clients.
Wilson credits the program with changing his life.
It means everything to me, and I'm enjoying every minute of it," Wilson said.
