Nc Reentry Program Turns To Tiny Homes To Help Women Leaving Prison

By Rachel Crumpler

A barren section successful Alamance County will beryllium transformed complete nan adjacent twelvemonth into North Carolina’s first mini location organization built specifically for formerly incarcerated women — a caller attack to post-prison lodging successful a authorities wherever nan need for a unchangeable spot to onshore erstwhile leaving situation acold outpaces nan disposable options. 

About 95 percent of nan much than 32,000 group successful North Carolina prisons will 1 time return to nan organization — astir 20,000 releases each year. Yet galore struggle to unafraid lodging because of stigma, a shortage of affordable housing and landlords who are unwilling to rent to group pinch criminal records.

Benevolence Farm collapsed crushed connected its mini location organization for formerly incarcerated women past month. Construction of nan homes is expected to beryllium completed by autumn 2026. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

By autumn 2026, 7 colorful mini homes are expected to guidelines connected a 13-acre spot successful Graham and beryllium operated by Benevolence Farm, a program that provides transitional lodging and employment to women of each condemnation types.

The summation will double Benevolence Farm’s lodging capacity connected nan spot — a meaningful summation for a programme that has maintained a agelong hold database for years. (A three-bedroom farmhouse already serves six group astatine a time.)

At a groundbreaking ceremonial past month, Benevolence Farm Executive Director Kristen Powers said that nan building of nan mini homes represents a caller exemplary of lodging for organization reentry: an replacement to accepted congregate options that often replicate immoderate of nan conditions of incarceration.

Building mini homes

For Benevolence Farm — which welcomed its first resident successful December 2016 — nan task has been years successful nan making. In 2019, a mobility from a resident who spent much than 20 years successful situation shifted nan organization’s reasoning astir what reentry lodging could be. 

“What would it look for illustration to believe surviving free and independent amongst a organization of group who get me?” Powers recalled nan resident, Deb, asking.

The mini location organization is 1 answer, Powers said — a imagination developed complete years of readying and “designed from nan very opening pinch input by formerly incarcerated women.”

A rendering of Benevolence Farm’s mini location community. Construction is expected to beryllium completed successful autumn 2026. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

Former residents, including Mona Evans, who spent astir 5 years incarcerated, played a cardinal domiciled successful nan creation process.

“Every prime we made was astir reclaiming what situation took from us: prime and dignity,” Evans said. 

Their input shaped nan astir basal features: nary loft beds reminiscent of situation bunks; unfastened floorplans arsenic a opposition to nan tight, restrictive spaces of cells; tons of windows to easy spot extracurricular aft years of constricted exposure; a backstage bath successful each location to regain privateness while showering and utilizing nan bathroom; and each location painted a different color, contrasting pinch situation uniformity wherever everyone has nan aforesaid apparel and shoes.

While nan mini homes will connection independent living, they will beryllium clustered to shape a organization wherever residents tin thin connected each different arsenic they navigate nan challenges of reestablishing their life successful nan community.

“If someone’s struggling, each they person to do is spell outside, to their neighbor, to personification who understands what they’re going through,” said Linda Cayton, a erstwhile Benevolence Farm resident who now useful arsenic a certified adjacent support specialist.  

Former Benevolence Farm residents Linda Cayton and Mona Evans were progressive successful nan mini location creation process and shared perspectives connected why independent lodging is captious for successful reentry. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

The mini location organization is expected to costs astir $1.8 cardinal to complete, Powers said. The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency contributed $1.1 cardinal toward nan effort, and further support is coming from foundations and backstage donors.

“Safe and sustainable lodging for everyone successful North Carolina is simply a extremity of our organization,” Adam Abram, chair of nan North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, said astatine nan groundbreaking ceremony.

Benevolence Farm’s description comes amid a statewide push to grow lodging opportunities for nan state’s formerly incarcerated population. Homelessness among group leaving situation is high; successful 2024, more than 1 successful 4 group near situation without a unchangeable spot to live.

“I dream everyone understands we are not conscionable building mini homes,” said Evans, who is Benevolence Farm’s organization defense director. “We are building independence, we are building dignity and we are building futures.”

Housing affects reentry success

Securing safe, unchangeable lodging is often nan astir contiguous situation facing group leaving prison. Without unchangeable housing, it tin beryllium difficult for group to comply pinch parole and post-release supervision, entree curen and find employment.

Of nan astir 20,000 group who near a North Carolina authorities situation successful 2024, 5,610 group — aliases 28 percent — were identified arsenic homeless, according to a housing assessment conducted by The Council of State Governments Justice Center. The nonpartisan statement leads nan national Reentry 2030 campaign, which North Carolina joined successful January 2024, and developed a statewide strategical scheme to bolster reentry support. Expanding lodging options is 1 of nan plan’s 4 overarching goals.

People leaving incarceration were counted arsenic bum if they had nary verified location plan, reported themselves arsenic homeless, provided an intersection arsenic an reside aliases went to a shelter aliases impermanent lodging placement.

Most group flagged arsenic bum aft leaving situation — 83 percent aliases 4,647 group — were released connected organization supervision, which requires regular check-ins pinch probation/parole officers. About 95 percent of these individuals — 4,424 group — were released to nan street, not to a shelter, to impermanent lodging aliases to a curen program. 

Unstable lodging increases nan consequence of recidivism, which tin beryllium costly to nan ineligible system, to nan carceral strategy and to taxpayers. Housing 1 personification successful a North Carolina situation costs much than $54,000 per year. 

Powers stressed that lodging is simply a basal request that affects wellness outcomes and reentry success. A personification needs a spot to unrecorded earlier they tin attraction connected different tasks, specified arsenic addressing immoderate beingness and intelligence wellness problems and reuniting pinch family, she said.

A 2023 study connected removing lodging barriers for formerly incarcerated people published by nan Wilson Center for Science and Justice astatine Duke Law describes a “cyclical narration betwixt lodging instability and nan criminal ineligible system.”

“Guaranteed lodging upon merchandise from situation tin mean nan quality betwixt going backmost to nan manner that led you to your incarceration to statesman with,” said Cayton, who spent respective years incarcerated. “As personification who was successful progressive addiction and surviving successful nan streets anterior to my incarceration, having a programme for illustration Benevolence [Farm] helped maine move my life around. 

“So galore group who are trying to reintegrate backmost into nine post-release don’t person a safe and nurturing abstraction to heal and grow.” 

That spread is simply a interest to galore stakeholders crossed nan state, including first woman Anna Stein, who was an lawyer and argumentation advisor connected nan authorities wellness department’s supplier overdose prevention squad earlier her hubby was elected governor. She has made reentry and rehabilitation 1 of her 3 privilege issues during her husband’s clip successful office.

“There is dignity successful a location and having a spot to telephone your own, to de-stress, to person organization and to beryllium yourself,” she said arsenic nan keynote speaker astatine Benevolence Farm’s mini location organization groundbreaking ceremony. “Establishing a web of lodging options is simply a foundational measurement successful giving group reentering their communities nan champion chance of agelong word success.”

Kristen Powers, executive head of Benevolence Farm, talks astir nan value of building a mini location organization for formerly incarcerated women connected nan farm’s 13-acre property. First woman Anna Stein (seated) delivered nan keynote reside astatine a groundbreaking ceremonial for nan homes connected Nov. 20, 2025. Credit: Rachel Crumpler / NC Health News

Need for much women’s reentry resources

Over nan past respective decades, women’s incarceration has surged nationwide — including successful nan Tar Heel state.

In North Carolina authorities prisons, ​​2,838 women are presently incarcerated — astir double nan number housed location 3 decades ago, erstwhile 1,514 women were down bars, according to N.C. Department of Adult Correction data. Women now dress up almost 9 percent of nan state’s situation organization of much than 32,000 people. 

But Powers said that resources disposable to support women returning location haven’t kept gait pinch nan growth. Benevolence Farm is 1 of nan fewer programs successful nan authorities dedicated specifically to serving formerly incarcerated women — a organization pinch rising needs. 

“Not that we person capable programs to service men reentering nan community,” Stein said. “But women person been particularly underserved successful nan reentry space.” 

In 2024, 3,048 women were released from North Carolina prisons, accounting for astir 15 percent of each releases that year, according to Department of Adult Correction data. 

Some caller options are opening to emerge. In October, Jubilee Home, a reentry programme successful Durham, opened a women’s location that offers lodging and regular support — including guidance from adjacent navigators who person acquisition pinch nan justness strategy — to 4 formerly incarcerated women astatine a time. The motorboat was supported successful portion by backing from nan authorities Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our organization has a need,” said David Crispell, co-founder and executive head of Jubilee Home, astatine a ribbon-cutting ceremonial celebrating nan opening of nan caller house. “The women that travel done this doorway don’t person to locomotion this travel alone. It’s a really brave measurement to travel and effort to rebuild your life.”

David Crispell, co-founder and executive head of Jubilee Home, astatine a ribbon-cutting ceremonial connected Oct. 30, 2025, celebrating nan opening of nan organization’s women’s home. Jubilee Home has operated a men’s location since 2020. Credit: Rose Hoban / NC Health News

Still, nan spread remains wide. Even pinch 7 caller mini homes opening adjacent year, Powers knows nan statement will only beryllium capable to proceed gathering a fraction of nan request for housing. And while she expects nan mini homes to beryllium popular, adding much units is unlikely, arsenic Powers said an designer advised that much homes could discuss nan integrity of nan agrarian landscape.

“The taxable moving done these mini homes is that it’s not astir recreating situation pinch congregate lodging and fitting arsenic galore group arsenic you tin successful nan space,” Powers said. “I cognize it’s tempting to beryllium ace businesslike and person tons of numbers, but nan value past of people’s acquisition degrades complete time.”

She hopes nan description will spur broader finance successful reentry lodging for women crossed nan authorities — a request she believes is “a solvable problem.”

“We were trailblazing successful nan consciousness that we were getting each those cuts and bruises trying to trim this way and learned a batch from it,” Powers said. “I dream that it makes it a small spot easier for nan adjacent group to build, moreover if it doesn’t rather look for illustration this.” 

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