We provide Christ-centered transition services to Men transitioning from periods of incarceration. Who We Are
Helping Hands Transition and Recovery is owned and operated by Imani Transition Ministries, Inc. Imani means ‘faith’ in Swahili and as such we believe in and operate in the transforming power of God. We operate a ministry that seeks to meet the needs of men and women who are incarcerated
or affected by the incarceration of a loved one. Under the organization is Imani GDU, a faith-based men’s study ministry that operates within the prison walls and works with men to strengthen them spiritually to be better prepared to be leaders in their homes and communities upon release. The Imani Prison Ministry which provides support to the loved ones of men who are incarcerated providing counseling and assistance to family members, providing food and clothing to newly released inmates. Helping Hands Transition represent our newest corporate venture which will provide residential transition services to offenders released from incarceration. We will provide a structured, safe environment for offenders to successfully reintegrate back into society. We have been blessed to have a program director that has worked with offenders at the Federal, State and local levels for over 18 years. The program director is a former probation/parole officer and has worked in federal and state prison as well as county jails in a variety of capacities and is keenly aware of the need for these services and the best practices in the field of reentry. Target Population
Although our desire is to provide assistance for all those who have a genuine desire to stabilize their lives we recognize that we cannot adequately meet the needs of all offenders. For that reason we have decided to target a population with the greatest need. We are specifically designed to meet the needs of male offenders aged 40 and above who have served extended periods of incarceration (10+ years). We are looking for offenders who are on Parole, probation, community control or some other form of community supervision. As indicated in our materials all of our facilities are able to accommodate electronic monitoring clients. Because of boundary restrictions we are currently unable to meet the needs of sexual offenders/predators. Our Program
Helping Hands provides an opportunity for men to successfully transition after extended periods of incarceration / confinement in to the community. The program is a Christ-centered program which utilizes Jesus Christ as the foundation of all program interventions and uses Christian principles of behavior and conduct. The program will utilize the whole-person model which seeks to address each individual spiritually, physically, cognitive/behaviorally and intellectually. Although our ultimate goal is to reduce recidivism among this population we strive to equip men with the tools necessary to remain at liberty in a law-abiding, life enhancing manner. As most of the residents of the Helping Hands will have successfully completed the Correction Transition Program (CTP) we seek to build on the foundation provided in that program and assist men with applying the skills learned in those in-custody classes. CTP will continue to work with there graduates in an alumni-mentoring partnership. The Structure
Recognizing the necessity of structure for reentering offenders we have infused our program with high-levels of supervision and structure. Primarily we will have paid staff on-site at all times. The staff will ensure that residents are focused on their transition and recovery and actively participating in activities associated with the program. Residents will have to plan and account for their time via written schedules which will have to be completed by each resident. As you will also notice by the attached schedule we will provide structured times for activities and we will offer a host of self-help programs on site. Community Service
Helping Hands will provide more than just housing, we offer reentry services for the men we serve but also the program allows them opportunities to give back. Men will be required to be of service to their communities, families and the programs that helped them. It is the expectation that all of the men will play active roles in CTP, the Ft. Lauderdale community, Christ Resurrection Community Church and Helping Hands, being of service wherever they are needed, whenever they are needed. At a minimum all men must complete eight (8) hours of community service monthly. Opportunities to complete those hours will be coordinated by Helping Hands staff. Examples of Service include but are not limited to:
• Clean Up Projects
• Volunteering at Food Pantry
• Home Repair for the Needy
• Gardening/horticulture projects
Self-Improvement Classes
The men must be committed to self -improvement and must work daily to shed old behaviors and transform their attitudes and behaviors. Helping Hands will provide a variety of ways for men to grow intellectually, spiritually and behaviorally. The goal is to provide opportunities for men to gain knowledge and apply their new skills in daily-living situations. Based on intake certain classes will be recommended and incorporated in the case plan in order to ensure completion. Outside linkages will be provided for services such as educational, vocational training, substance abuse treatment or other therapy. We work very closely with the Broward Reentry coalition and the provider agencies. Some have agreed to partner with us in providing classes at Helping Hands. At a minimum the following classes will be offered on-site at Helping Hands House:
• S*x, Rocks, HIV
• Employability Skills
• Anger Management-“Cage your Rage”
• Men’s Bible Study
• Parenting/Mentoring
• Family Reunification
• Temple Training
• Conflict Resolution
• Motivational Skills for Living
• Thinking for a Change
• Money Smart- Financial Literacy
• CRUSHH- Health Education
• Interpersonal Relationship Skills
• Art
• Small Business Development
• Etiquette/ Gentlemen Training Classes
Recovery Management
At Helping Hands we recognize that substance abuse is a significant factor and likely played a major role in the initial incarceration. We also understand that in order for transition to be successful those identified as having substance abuse issues continue to address those issues in transition. Our program incorporates bible-based as well as 12-step modalities for addressing substance abuse. We offer self help NA, AA and GA programs on site as well as take clients to meetings in the community. Helping Hands is not licensed or equipped to handle inpatient treatment, detox or substance abuse interventions. We utilize linkage networks that allow us to link clients needing more intensive assessment and treatment services via community based providers. In order to maintain a sober-living environment we regularly and randomly conduct urinalysis testing to ensure that clients are not using alcohol or other controlled substances. Additionally, we require total abstinence from drugs and alcohol for all clients. Spiritual Growth
Men must be committed to daily Bible reading and meditation and must set aside a time for personal reflection every 24 hours. Additionally ministerial staff from Christ Resurrection Community Church (CRCC) will provide regular individual and group counseling for residents. To provide tools for spiritual growth everyone will attend Wednesday evening Bible Study at CRCC. The study will begin at 7pm weekly and all are required to attend the study as well as Sunday worship at 11am on Sunday. Daily at curfew men will be required to participate in congregate prayer to be held in the common area at 10pm. This provides an opportunity to give thanks for the day that has concluded and to pray for strength for the day to come. Transition
Recognizing that part of transition or assimilation involves vehicles, cell phones, dating, reunification with family and other things we want to provide a framework for those activities so that they do not become counter productive to the transition process. Men are allowed to have vehicles only in Phase IV-Omega. The driver must be appropriately licensed; the vehicle must be registered and insured. Proof of all three must be provided to Helping Hands staff prior to bringing the vehicle on the property. Vehicles must be legally parked at all times. Cell phones are an important component of staying in contact with house staff, parole/community control officers and obtaining employment, for that reason we allow cell phones but they must be used responsibly. Cell phone numbers must be provided to Helping Hands staff. We strongly discourage dating during transition for a variety of reasons. We very much encourage men to remain celibate during the transition phase until their lives and living situations are more stable. Female visitors are not allowed in the bedrooms at anytime. We will provide weekly visitation times from 12-6pm Saturday and 10am-6pm Sunday at which time friends and family are welcome to come and visit at Helping Hands. Special visiting times will also be arranged during the holidays. Pro-Social Activities
In order to assist the men in being able to interact with the general public appropriately Helping Hands will coordinate regular pro-social outings which may include theater or cultural activities, sporting events, outside dining experiences. Fees for those activities are not included in the program fees and will be the responsibility of the men.
