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SALT LAKE CITY — In a nondescript building in Salt Lake City, just off the TRAX line on 900 South, women at risk for incarceration are finding a second chance thanks to a nonprofit organization called Journey of Hope.
Journey of Hope pairs women with a mentor who can help them navigate a new life for themselves.
Most of the women served by Journey of Hope have had prior convictions. The objective of the program is to keep these women from re-entering the prison system by pairing them with someone who can offer guidance.
Jeanie Inalou, who has been out of prison for three years, is currently being mentored at Journey of Hope.
"They have done everything (for me)," she said. "They have gotten me furniture, they've gotten me clothes. I mean, Shannon even brought over some clothes for me out of her own closet … I just can't say enough about them."
Frank Christianson, a mentor at the center, said the role they play has a significant impact.
"When somebody who needs help knows that somebody cares about them," he said, "it just takes a weight off their shoulders."
Some of the women who enter the center face significant challenges having survived severe addiction, mental health disorders and significant trauma. Access to someone they can rely on is important at Journey of Hope, as mentors come from all walks of life.
"We've got judges that are mentors," said mentor Jolene Dew. "We (have) people that are members of many different denominations that are mentors. You've got people who are professionals, and you've got homemakers. What is nice is they seem to look at that diversity and match that woman up with whoever is best suited to help that person."
Mentors who volunteer at the center are given training to help them be successful. The program currently has about 150 trained mentors and feels like it is making an impact on the community.
"We can choose to spend $36,000 a year to put them in prison, or we can spend half that to put them in programs in the community, or a third of that to mentor or case-manage them in the community," said Shannon Miller Cox, co-executive director at Journey of Hope.
Cox said she has a unique understanding of what the women who come into the building are going through.
"I'm a survivor of trauma," she said. "But I had an amazing family and support system."
She worked for 20 years as a corrections and parole officer for the state of Utah, and worked tirelessly for many years to help get this program up and running.
So far, the program has proven very successful. The recidivism rate for the women who have participated is only 13 percent — compared to the current Utah rate of 46 percent.
"Once we help these people not return to prison, it's just going to make society a better place to live," said mentor Bill Dew.
"Not all good people are on the outside of prison," Christianson said. "There are good people that are in prison, and they just need a little bit of help."
For more information about Journey of Hope and how to contribute to their program, you can visit their website or Facebook page.
