Dinnertime, an important element to this Half-way home
by Mary Cooper

The home at 521 South St. Joseph Street in South Bend was obviously designed to accommodate a large family. In its time, a hundred years ago the house was state of the art, and built in the first suburb of South Bend, Taylor’s Field.
One of its most exquisite features included servants’ quarters and a dedicated walkway through the back of the house. A tour through this big old house would reveal it’s age and historical value, but the real heart of the house is revealed in the activities that take place within the walls of Dismas House of Michiana.

Most recently a tremendous amount
of improvement has been taking
place in this big old house. John
[named change to protect his
identity], a former offender and
resident of the home has taken considerable pride in this house that he enthusiastically shares his involvement with the renovations.

Using his building skills learned from his grandfather, John has been essential in the renovating process of the home. From plastering to re-wiring the infrastructure, to moving furniture, to fixing up bathrooms, John is a living testimony of the values earned and learned while being a resident of Dismas House.

John explains the plan to provide more room in the dining area for what he claims to be “the best thing going in this house”. Every night at 6:30 the dinner table is filled with residents and guests; that can be

can be anywhere from 14-18 people. “This helps us get involved with the community and the community involved with us.” Says John.

“This table is full every night. You know how families sit down and have dinner? A lot of people have gotten away from that over the years, and this is a real good opportunity to introduce it back into our lives. It’s really great”.

What John finds as an exceptional opportunity at Dismas, is the volunteers coming Monday through Thursday nights to cook for the residents. College students, churches, community members arriving to serve the residents a healthy dinner and offering a time of fellowship and companionship much like one would find at a family evening meal.

This is just one of the essential elements that makes Dismas unique to other transitional housing programs for those recently released from prison or jail. Serving men and women, Dismas’ mission is “to reconcile former offenders to society and society to former offenders” through the development of a supportive community.

Residents participate in programs that teach life skills such as budgeting, credit management, stress management, resume writing and social skills. They work to save $1,500 to $2,000 so they can move into stable housing when they leave Dismas House.

Residents are set in an environment where personal accountability, healthy self-esteem, social acceptance are to be nurtured. One of the ways this takes place is through the seven house rules, which are designed to assure safety of the residents: No violence, no use of alcohol or drugs; no disturbing the peace, no sex in the house or intimate relationships among the residents; completion of assigned chores, attendance at evening meals and a house meeting; and no smoking.

In addition, the goal towards self-sufficiency is encouraged as each resident must work or attend school, pay program fees, attend required counseling, tutoring, volunteer their time to the greater community and hold one another accountable.

Dismas house is different from traditional half way houses because college students with diverse backgrounds also live and participate in the program with the former offenders. Students pay the same fee as the offenders, and follow the same house rules and living guidelines of the rest of the residents.

Maria Kaczmarek, Executive Director of the Michiana Dismas House is amazed at the difference the students make while living with the offenders. “When the students are here there is less relapsing on drugs or alcohol and more people completing the program. They change this house from a half-way house into true community”, she says.

Maria attributes this to the students bringing more people into the house, bringing non-judgmental attitudes, fresh ideas, friendship and humor. Most students come form Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s. It gives the students a different flavor of life. It gives them practical experience if the students are looking to going into some sort of social work.

The beginnings of Dismas house originated in 1974 by Father Jack Hickey, O.P. He opened the first Dismas House in Nashville, TN. He states that “Dismas is taken from the name of the thief whom Christ forgave before they were both crucified” With that foundation, Dismas Houses were established to help former prisoners struggling in courage to make something of their lives.
Locally, the Michiana Dismas House opened in 1986 through the efforts of the United Religious Community of St. Joseph County. A volunteer advisory board of directors oversees the management of the organization, while a full-time executive director, a part-time assistant director and part-time night managers implement the program with help from hundreds of operational volunteers.

Volunteers play a major role in Dismas. Besides the dinner preparation each evening, which is the most popular opportunity, volunteers help with house maintenance, tutoring, employment placement, mentoring and fund raising. There is always a place for volunteerism for individuals and groups. One specific area of need is for churches to be involved in the Spring Salad Luncheon. Over the years many of the volunteers from churches have aged, and there is a need for more people to volunteer to make salads for this successful fund raising event.

Funding is received by private and public grants. The only state money comes from an emergency shelter grant. The Annual budget of the Dismas Michiana is about $200,000. Residents pay twenty-two percent of their living costs or about $80 per week. The rest of the funding is raised by volunteers and staff through various fundraisers such as the Spring Salad Luncheon, an Annual Dinner & Silent Auction, and coming up this month the 2nd Annual Reggae Festival. Taking place on August 26th, the event will include live bands, dancing, food and crafts. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

One of the challenges ahead for Dismas is maintaining the current house. Even though they have completed substantial improvements recently, the plumbing has an estimated $20,000 price tag to repair, plus being over 100 years old, the repair bills mount quickly. As such, it has caused the board and staff to think about a new facility for Dismas House in the future. She says that the location is ideal for the residents. “I couldn’t think of a better neighborhood to be in,” says Maria. Every resource that the residents would need is near. “Plus, we have to be in a community that will accept us,” says Maria.

Maria’s vision includes a Dismas Campus with more resources for residents, while maintaining the family setting that is so instrumental in transitional process for former offenders. The ideal home will include enough room for twenty residents, plus more areas to have training & recreational programs. A men’s wing and a women’s wing would be ideal. To assist more offenders returning to the community the Dismas Campus would include a Re-entry Center, which would offer assistance with job readiness, employment & housing referrals, clothing, support groups, etc. The campus would also include small cottages, which would be rented to Dismas graduates as they continue their journey toward self-sufficiency.

The public is invited on September 24th from 2 – 4 p.m. to a Home Coming Celebration, which is part of Dismas House’s platinum anniversary. The day will include tours of the home, a house blessing and refreshments. Former residents and volunteers, current residents and volunteers are encouraged to bring Dismas memorabilia and photographs for the Dismas Scrap Book.

Since 1986, the Michiana Dismas House has been home to over 500 former offenders and college students. Dismas of Michiana is respected by the Department of Correction, Parole and Probation Offices, Judges and the greater community.
For more information about Dismas of Michiana, contact Maria Kaczmarek, Executive Director. The home is located at 521 S St. Joseph St. in South Bend. You may contact Dismas by calling 574-233-8522.