KOKOMO, Ind. -- There's a new push in Howard County to help women in trouble with the law get a second chance at life.
The Gilead House has submitted a proposal to open a 20-bed transitional housing program for women. The only catch: They need to come up with $45,000 to start it.
Tamara Harrison, 50, volunteers at the building to prepare the rooms for the project. She's been in and out of jail most of her life and said the program is something she wishes would have been available to her.
"We have the right attitude when we get out of jail. But we don't have a safe place to go to keep us focused on our needs, and now we want to change our lives, but when we go right back to the same place we fail," said Harrison.
Reba Harris is heading the project. She said the organization is pursuing grants to try to raise the startup money for a project that is long overdue for their community.
"If they have a place to come to when they get out of jail and it's clean and safe and has meals and all the programs we are going to offer, we know it can help save lives," said Harris. "If you care about people you should want to help save lives."
If the program can get enough money to start, they can also get assistance from Recovery Works, a state program that would reimburse funding for their new operation.
