With the support of justice-involved people, college students, volunteers, and the Vermont Department of Corrections, the Burlington Dismas House Board of Directors formally opened its doors at 96 Buell Street in September 1986. 

In 1990, the Rutland House was founded, followed by the East Allen House in Winooski in 2008, the Hartford House in 2014, and the Rutland Women’s House in 2021, the only offering of its kind in Vermont for women.

 In 2024, Dismas expanded its programming and added step-down housing using master leasing. This continuum of care now provides up to four years of support. 

Each house has a communal kitchen, a large dining room, a living room with a house television and computer, laundry facilities, both shared and single bedrooms, on-site staffing, and, in total, more than 6,000 hours of annual engagement by community volunteers. Houses vary in size, but each can accommodate 6-12 people at a time. Each house is staffed by both a House Director and an Assistant House Director.