When asked about her first night in her apartment, she said, “It was so nice, such a good feeling. I worked really hard to make it to this point and I know that if I hadn’t put in the work, I wouldn’t be here.”

Being at the Women’s Dismas House and having everyone here believing in me and helping me to believe in myself again has shown me that I’ve always had the capacity to get sober and stay sober and to be the best version of myself that I want to be.

Sometimes life presents difficult choices, and sometimes none of the options are good. Alex worked hard, and his efforts earned him a promotion and more money. It also meant that they no longer qualified for state medical coverage for their son’s surgery.

I relapsed into drinking and drugs. The VA took away all my pills, and I spiraled. Despite brief moments of stability—a townhouse, a truck—I was eventually arrested for possession and spent two years homeless.

Dismas isn't just a home; it is a community, not only for the residents who live here but also for the staff and volunteers who come every day.

The journey from active addiction to becoming a responsible father, accountable community member, and soon-to-be graduate has been both challenging and immensely rewarding. I hope my story inspires others to believe in the power of recovery and the significance of community support.

In 2021, Vital Communities worked with a Hartford Dismas House resident to get him financial assistance with purchasing an eBike, which led to their help securing a shared eBike for all residents to use. A huge success, the partnership has served as a model and has since been replicated among other nonprofits, including the Hartford Restorative Justice Center and SHARe Upper Valley.

“Just because I’m an alcoholic and drug addict (side note, Holmer is 15 years sober), doesn’t mean I’m not a good solid guy. I know a lot more than people think I do.” Despite this common misconception, Holmer has people who have stuck by him. “They love me, and they know me. I’m so blessed to have the support from everybody, from my ex-wife to my close friends to my landlord.” He gives special credit to Jeff Backus, former Hartford Dismas House Director, noting “he was very, very good to me and helped me a lot."

Holmer lost so much when he went inside, “But that’s ok. You know those are things I had to leave behind. If that’s what it took to get me where I am today, I am good with all of it.”

As part of the Hartford Dismas Houses' 10th birthday community celebration, Tim Arbuckle, a Dismas alum, stood at the microphone and told his story. A standing ovation followed.

"I am now maxed out from supervision and have held my job at Brady Plus for two years. I am completely clean and sober since that relapse in October 2022 and I'm a totally different person. I owe all my success to Dismas House and the staff for believing in me and guiding me to my full potential and changing my life for the better."

Click on the blog title to read his entire speech.

Dismas of Vermont is the recipient of $250,000 from the TD Charitable Foundation through its 18th annual Housing for Everyone grant program, the only award made in Vermont this year. The grant will support Dismas of Vermont’s step-down housing pilot for those ready for the next step after transitional housing but are often screened out of affordable housing options due to their previous involvement in the criminal justice system. The pilot will master lease apartments from private landlords to provide more independent living opportunities for individuals who, through the traditional Dismas House program, have demonstrated their commitments to their communities and themselves.

I firmly believe that the critical ingredient of our “Secret Sauce” can be found in the simplicity inherent in our origin story. Dismas was not the product of a Vanderbilt Criminology professor who, after extensive research, analysis, and testing, developed a behavior modification-based model that would employ the skills of trained professional social workers. Instead, Dismas was born from the connection between ordinary students and regular prison inmates. Students were open-minded enough to recognize a need on the inmates’ part and open-hearted enough to do something about it. The Dismas community is compelling, not because of the sophistication of our techniques, but because of the profound depths of courage and compassion it calls its members to.

Sitting in his cell prior to his release, Kalmoi had two options that would reconnect him with his daughters: find a place to give him a second chance or stay in jail until he could secure a place to live and recover his misplaced documents. The latter, he knew, would likely mean a return to jail for a new crime because he had no support. “I knew I wanted to get to my daughters, but first I needed a roof and my documents. I’m not from here and I had no one to help me – it was just me and my daughters.” Dismas changed that for him.

On December 19, 2023, Rutland Dismas House celebrated Tim's graduation from Rutland Treatment Court, made possible with the backing of the Treatment Court team, everyone at the Rutland Dismas House, and his dedicated wife, Sue.

Recidivism is the tendency of a person convicted of a crime to reoffend. In Vermont, over 40% of people released from correctional facilities go back on new convictions or violations within three years. The good news is that philanthropy can disrupt this destructive cycle and help set up people for success after incarceration. The Vermont Community Foundation's Insight Hub brief shares three strategies that should be top-of-mind for charitable individuals. In this brief, discover the three actions to improve the success of Vermonters leaving the corrections system, data on Vermont's correctional facilities census and recidivism rates, and testimonials from experts on what works and why.

Now that I have a son, making sure I get myself together is the priority. I remember thinking when in jail, “What am I supposed to do when I don’t have an opportunity?” Thinking through the final days of my time before entering society, I thought I had no options and worried about how I was going to get my life back on track after being labeled a felon. I felt marked and ignored. At Dismas, I feel seen and heard. Whether I’m at dinner, a house meeting, or a one-on-one with staff, my words are being considered.

The support I’m getting allows me to make time to get myself back on track. Before my relapse, I worked at Turning Point where I made the most out of my day helping other people. I heard about Dismas houses and didn't know a lot about the housing process. I was familiar with a few of the recovery homes in the area. One of the reasons I was thinking I didn’t want to go to Dismas was because I had lived in a rooming house before, but this is nothing like a rooming house, the guys that stay here keep it clean.