Journey of Hope Inc

Journey of Hope was founded by Shannon Miller Cox, after working for 20 years with hundreds of incarcerated women. She recognized the need to address the sexual abuse histories, subsequent mental illness and addictions that lead so many women into the revolving door of incarceration, in a Gender Responsive Model, from outside of Government entanglements.

Journey of Hope trains Peer Mentors and Community Volunteers in Gender Responsive strategies (Trauma Informed, Strength Based, Holistic "Wrap Around",  Relational, Culturally Considerate, Limitless) in a Case Management Model, to walk with female survivors as they create a success plan, write down their dream, and make smart goals to navigate barriers they have faced in important areas of their lives.  

Journey of Hope trains and collaborates community partners to ensure a Gender Responsive approach is used when working with our survivors.  We also advocate for these survivors with Federal, State, and Local government entities, to include courts, the Board of Pardons and Parole and Education and Training Institutions.  We are also working with legal, healthcare, and mental health care partners to ensure all of the Holistic needs of our survivors can be cared for.   One of the most powerful facets of Journey of Hope's Program is the opportunity for successful participants to become Peer Mentors.  

Our Peer Mentors are powerful examples of resiliency. They have overcome child trafficking, long histories of sexual abuse, domestic violence, addiction, and histories of state and federal incarceration.  They are amazing examples of loving mothers and grandmothers, they are successful employees and leaders in our community.  They have the most profound message and voice and do not allow the Scarlet Letter F, for Felon, define their being!  

Now our women are telling others about our help and so we have women, counselors, treatment agencies, and supervision agents calling to see if they can refer their clients for our services. We don't charge the wonen for services, but we don't have enough volunteers or paid staff to serve the number of women who need these services in our community. We need to take the next step and add the at-risk girls, the girls aging out of DCFS (Division of Child and Family Services), Juvenile Court, and JJS (Juvenile Justice Services.)  These girls are 60% more likely to end up trafficked and addicted and then involved in the adult Criminal Justice System.  These girls deserve trained, full time paid case managers to truly intervene in this pathway to prison.  

Funding will help us provide more services to at risk women and their children. Funding will enable us to hire and train case managers for girls aging out of DCFS, JJS, and Juvenile Court. Your support for Journey of Hope means support for the women of Utah.  

TO DATE:  

- Served over 450 Women: walking in from the Community (homeless, trafficked, fleeing domestic violence, released from jails and prison, girls aged out of DCFS and JJS) and transitionion out of Jail and Prison

- We have helped the prison close 180 beds for women (Just goes to show nonviolent women don't need to be in prison with trauma informed holistic case management)

RESULTS:

* Less than a Quarter the Normal Recidivism Rates for Women mentored in our program

* 62 Women and Families in Low Income Permanent Housing

* 180 Bed Women's Prison Housing Unit closed saving over $5 Million a Year to tax payers

* Over a hundred community partners and counting.