For men and women who have been incarcerated, re-entry into society is beset by a multitude of challenges, but a new transitional housing campus in Spartanburg County aims to tackle many of those through a community of support.
JUMPSTART, a prison ministry active in several states, has opened Restoration Village, a 26-acre campus at 150 Wingo Road in Wellford. Three transitional homes have already opened on the campus. Up to 24 homes are planned.
For Cary Sanders, executive director of JUMPSTART’s South Carolina chapter, the hope, accountability and network of support offered by the program are not just talking points — they are a true path to redemption.
“This isn’t jailhouse religion,” Sanders said. “It’s really a holistic approach to overcoming obstacles that are insurmountable without assistance.”
And the “proof is in the pudding,” Sanders added, as he himself spent 10 years in prison before taking part in the JUMPSTART program, which he said turned his life around and gave him a purpose in helping others do the same.
The program starts while inmates are still in prison. Through a rigorous screening process, mentoring and training, candidates begin to develop the skills necessary for success once they are released.
Because the process is so stringent, only about 40% of inmates who start the program complete it to be eligible for the post-release series of services and support, Sanders said. The program has a 96% success rate for people who reach this stage, and Sanders said this is one reason many employers are eager to hire JUMPSTART graduates.
“Our people are motivated,” he said, noting that employers often tell him their JUMPSTART employees are among the hardest working and most dedicated.
Through a wraparound set of services that provide job training, financial literacy, access to health care, counseling services and, above all, stable housing, JUMPSTART has the potential to transform lives, Sanders said.
This impact attracted the interest and support of Mike Kiriakides, a JUMPSTART board member and founding partner of Greenville’s KDS Commercial Properties.
“[JUMPSTART] is really about lifelong change,” Kiriakides said. “This is unique … if you can keep one person from going back to prison — that’s something.”
Along with his wife, Debbie, Kiriakides learned about JUMPSTART through Grace Church, where they are members.
When fully completed, in addition to the 24 transitional homes, the campus will feature a multi-purpose building for training, administrative offices, a culinary skills kitchen and events space, a prayer garden, a community garden, fitness trails, basketball and handball courts, and a memorial fountain.
For more information, visit jumpstartvision.org.
JUMPSTART fast facts:
- The program is active in 17 South Carolina prisons — 15 male and two female.
- JUMPSTART begins with prisoners while they are still incarcerated, with about 1,000 starting the program in South Carolina each year. Only about 400 complete the rigorous screening process to be eligible for the program once they are released.
- The program boasts a 96% success rate with fewer than 4% of participants ending up re-incarcerated (compared to about 21% re-incarceration rate for South Carolina’s prison population as a whole).
- The South Carolina chapter has more than 2,100 successful graduates and relies on more than 100 weekly volunteers to serve participants both inside and outside the prison system.
