Restoring Hope: How Crossroads Ministries Leads the Way in Helping Women Find Their Path After Incarceration
Today, we’re sitting down with Vicki DeMoney, Executive Director, and Sharon Tyson, Store Manager, to learn more about how Crossroads helps women find their strength and path to Christ coming out of incarceration.
What inspired you to start this organization? Can you share a bit about your background and how it led you to this work?
Vicki: Of course! I was volunteering in prisons for about three or four years as part of the clergy. I heard stories during that time that tugged on my heartstrings immensely. Women would tell me that they made parole but didn’t have anywhere to live. Or rather, the place that they can go to isn’t safe and if they find themselves back in that environment, then they will end up in prison again. There’s an invisible, common thread connecting all of them – they just want a fresh start.
I felt a calling by God to help these women. So, in 2008, I started a safe home for women coming out of incarceration. That home has now grown to include four homes in total, a warehouse, a store on the Canton Square, and our office space. We have two sober living homes in Canton and we’re the only ministry of our kind in the Madison County area.
Can you describe the main program and services offered?
Vicki: Absolutely. It all stems from trying to help previously incarcerated women have a second chance at life. The truth is that we start with a toothbrush. These women don’t have anything when they leave, so we provide all their hygiene products, clothes, shoes, etc. Once the women have their necessities, they begin the program. The program is comprised of four phases.
The first phase is at our first home where we have sixteen beds. In this phase, they don’t get a cellphone or internet. Their priority is to heal because most of the time, after being incarcerated, you’re just not going to be thinking clearly. Most reoffend within the first 90 days of getting out, so having them in this bubble of an environment is helpful. I have a lot of ladies tell me that they would have probably gone back if it wasn’t for the Phase 1 program.
Like I said, this is the phase where women’s physical and emotional wellbeing are at the forefront. In prison, a woman’s health can deteriorate drastically. People are under the assumption that the state takes care of them, but that is far from the truth. Women are not afforded mammograms, pap smears, or necessary check-ups. We have women come out of incarceration with various kinds of cancer, broken bones, diabetes, and other medical issues. Extreme tooth decay (due to hygiene neglect and lack of dental care) is also seen. Therefore, our top priority is to get them the medical help they need. On average, every new resident needs four to five doctor appointments as soon as they arrive.
After they graduate Phase 1, they move to the house that Sharon Tyson, our house and store manager, runs. We call this Phase 2. In this phase, they receive a cellphone and start working, but they are still held to a high accountability. They begin learning financial literacy and how to save money. More freedoms are offered, but it’s still tightly governed. After a while, if they’ve done well there, they move on to Phase 3. In phase 3, the girls share a living space but have their own bedroom.
Sharon: I also must mention the other services/classes we offer. We’ve partnered with Holmes Community College, who provide the girls with resources to create a resume, learn how to have a successful job interview, and receive college credit for the classes they take. On Monday – Wednesday, we offer a wide range of classes and extracurricular activities. These range from bible study, finance and art classes, to a Pilates class. We have guest speakers, whether it’s a pastor or an individual that wants to share their story and testimony to the women, come as well. All the girls have group counseling, receive a mentor, and have one-on-one therapy sessions. We like to offer a variety of classes to help them find their path to healing because if you don’t do that necessary work on yourself, then you are going to continue to have destructive habits and hurt people.
Once the women graduate the program, do they continue with Crossroads or venture out on their own?
Vicki: MDOC mandates that the girls graduate from the initial four-month program. However, I have girls that have been with me for four or five years now. This shows me that our organization is truly helping these ladies. I know we’re making a difference not just with this generation, but generations to come. If I can help a mother change her life, then in turn, she can be an example for her children and change their lives as well. If people can see the value in that, then they can see the value in what we’re doing.
What have been some oft he biggest challenges in running this organization?
Vicky: I would say one of the biggest challenges we face is funding. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with legislators who set the budget for The Department of Corrections, whom we receive a small grant from. Due to the low amount of funding we receive, I’ve tried to convince them to increase the amount of time they can help me support these women. I’m not sure if that got anywhere, but we tried and will continue to keep pushing.
Sharon: We partnered with Musee’s around ten years ago, as well as various restaurants around town that employ the women and teach them job skills. I’ve found that finding more businesses (that aren’t fast food chains), that want to partner with us to allow the girls to work during the day has been a bit difficult.
I’d love to hear more about the stores you’ve opened and how the Crossroads’ mission influences these establishments. How long have you had a flagship store on The Square, and what made you choose Canton as the location?
Vicki: We’ve been on the square since Christmas of 2013. Our first location was in the Gowdy’s building on the corner. We’re now located in the old Buttross store. The Buttross’ have owned the store since 1910. Previously, it was a dry goods store, and they had never subleased it to anyone. We’re eternally grateful they opened their hearts and store to us, as we were able to really expand Crossroads once we moved to our current location. I chose Canton because when God called me to this ministry, He called me here. It felt right and like we would be embraced with open arms. We want to get more involved with Canton when it comes to ministry and supporting local churches and the community.
As for the Crossroads store, I would consider us more of a resale store. We don’t call ourselves a thrift store. In saying that, we do offer clothing and other merchandise at very low prices – including furniture, rugs, knick-knacks, antiques, one-of-a-kind pieces, and so much more. We truly feel like we’re a ministry to the community for many reasons. Our customers are very loyal to us. The store is only open three days a week (Thursday through Saturday, from 10 AM to 4 PM) because our ladies are in class Monday through Wednesday. We have a warehouse where we store a lot of the large furniture that is donated to us. It’s open Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. I’m so proud of how far our store has come. Sharon Tyson, our store manager, has really risen to the challenge of making the store great in so many ways.
Sharon: It has been a pleasure to do this work. The girls in our program can work at our store and our warehouse, where they are able to learn a lot of job skills. When they first start, they’re able to pick out clothes, and they are just in awe as they now have the ability to dress up and feel good about themselves.
I’ll often post some of our available inventory on social media. People see those posts, come into the store, and are just amazed by what we have. To reiterate what Vicky said, we don’t sell low-quality products, but people are still able to purchase amazing brands at low prices. On one side of the store, we have a five-dollar bag sale, where you can fit about a dozen items inside a bag and get some amazing clothing brands at an incredible discount.
What are your future goals for Crossroads?
Vicki: I would love to be able to provide more housing for the women to be able to make their own. Group living can be a challenge. My dream is to have a large piece of property to build tiny homes on for them to rent.
Quality employment opportunities with different companies/industries is something I would love to see more of. A lot of companies will not hire those that have been incarcerated. They are truly missing out on some remarkable people. We are extremely grateful for companies like
Musee’s, Keifer’s in Madison, Boo’s BBQ & Wendy’s in Gluckstadt, and Quality Cleaners in
Canton that have partnered with Crossroads to hire our residents. We can’t thank them enough.
All in all, my main goal is to really change the mindset of how the ladies perceive themselves, how others see them, continue to demonstrate the love of God, and increase the ministry tenfold, which in turn, will help so many.
“Help those In Need.”
“Heal the Broken.”
“Hope for Peace.”