Since 1974, Dismas House of Nashville has been providing transitional housing and support services to men coming out of prisons and jails.  If it were not for the housing and services we provide, most Dismas House residents would be homeless – due to a lack of personal resources and/or family support.  Housing, then, is the first step to recovery for Dismas residents, and it is the foundation from which all of our subsequent programming is built.  For this reason, Dismas is more than a house. “Dismas,” as we say, “is family.”  At Dismas House, our former offender residents live together with college students: the vision of our founder, Father Hickey, born from an understanding that college students and former offenders are at similar places in life and should learn from each another.  Another unique characteristic of the Dismas housing model is our nightly family-style meal, a consistent gathering of Dismas residents with community volunteers, cooks, students, staff, and friends.  “Dismas is family,” where our house is our program, and our program is our house.

Residents make an initial 90-day pledge to live within this reconciliatory framework of family support and accountability.  This commitment ensures their participation in structured programming that includes (though is not limited to) on-going case management, mental health assessments, 12-step meetings, cognitive behavioral therapy, financial training and education, and a weekly life-skills counseling group.  Additionally, residents are obliged to participate in a weekly house meeting, an opportunity to identify and resolve community challenges and to realize their voice in all matters concerning the house.

Each Dismas House resident must obtain a job within thirty working days of his release.  Dismas House provides job readiness support, referrals and further assistance, as needed, during the often trying job search and application process.  Residents complete assigned house chores, pay program fees, follow house rules, and support each other in their common work toward reconciliation to society.  Dismas House of Nashville works with 30-40 former prisoners per year and has a daily capacity of fifteen men.