Exodus Ministries is a
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
-based non-denominational Christian
former prisoner rehabilitation organization, which attempts to help those who are released from
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
back into society at large. The organization is not affiliated with
Exodus International
Exodus International was a non-profit, interdenominational ex-gay Christian umbrella organization connecting organizations that sought to "help people who wished to limit their homosexual desires". Founded in 1976, Exodus International originall ...
, a now defunct
ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that encourage people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires and to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relat ...
organization.
Focus of the organization
Their primary focus, as described on the group's website, is "to assist ex-offenders and their families become productive members of society by meeting both their spiritual and physical needs." Exodus Ministries claims three primary objectives: reducing the number of ex-offenders who become
homeless
Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are:
* living on the streets, also kn ...
and
unemployed
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...
, as well as the number of those who return to a life of crime and eventually end up back in prison; helping ex-offenders obtain employment and managing their finances so they can re-establish a positive,
self-sufficient lifestyle; and reuniting ex-offenders with their families and teaching them the
life skills
Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable humans to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. This concept is also termed as psychosocial competency. The subject varies greatly depending on social norm ...
necessary for daily living through counseling and training services. In at least one notable case in 1996, Exodus Ministries rendered assistance to a non-ex-offender in need.
Funding and support
Exodus Ministries is supported by local churches and non-profit foundations.
Exodus garnered some national attention in October 2005 when it was announced that
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...
nominee
Harriet Miers
Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10, 1945) is an American lawyer who served as White House Counsel to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party since 1988, she previously served as White House Staff Secretary f ...
once served on the board of the organization.
See also
*
Prison religion
References
External links
Exodus Ministries Official Website
Evangelicalism in Texas
Prison charities based in the United States
Christian charities based in the United States
Charities based in Texas
Religious prison-related organizations
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