Giving Second Chances: Trinity Restoration Ministries in South Dallas
For those leaving prison, finding stable ground can be an immense challenge, often with few viable options. In Dallas, Trinity Restoration Ministries (TRM) offers a powerful lifeline, helping formerly incarcerated individuals rebuild their lives and reintegrate into the community. This faith-based nonprofit provides the crucial support needed to break cycles of incarceration and foster lasting change.
A Lifeline in South Dallas
Trinity Restoration Ministries has grown significantly since its humble beginnings as a two-bedroom apartment in 2004. Today, this multifacility program in South Dallas serves around 60 men and women simultaneously, each committed to a future free from their past mistakes. It’s a place where structure, support, and faith converge to create real transformation.
Beyond Incarceration: Tara’s Journey
Tara Burke’s story exemplifies TRM’s impact. After serving her second prison sentence, Tara found the structured environment at Trinity Restoration Ministries to be life-changing. With a history marked by addiction and incarceration, she learned essential skills like budgeting, saving, credit building, and professional presentation. Today, Tara is sober, reunited with her children, and works as a staff member, helping other women navigate their own paths to recovery and stability. Her experience underscores a vital message: everyone deserves a second chance to realize their potential.
Roots in Mentorship
The ministry’s profound success is rooted in its unique approach, which began inside prison walls. Volunteers like Dennis Gant started mentoring incarcerated men at Dawson State Jail in the early 2000s. Executive director Richard “Chico” Smith, who himself experienced incarceration three times, emphasizes the long-term, personal, and scripture-based approach. They build relationships with individuals while they are still in prison, understanding their backgrounds, families, and the core issues that contribute to their cycles of incarceration.
A Proven Path to Success
Classes offered in prison cover a range of topics from biblical studies to anger management, financial literacy, and addiction recovery. This intensive, relationship-first model ensures that by the time participants transition to TRM’s housing program, both staff and residents are deeply familiar with each other’s needs and challenges. This personalized approach yields remarkable results: Trinity Restoration Ministries boasts a 96% success rate, meaning less than 4% of participants return to prison. This stands in stark contrast to Texas’s statewide recidivism rate of 20%, as reported by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. While initially focused on men, TRM recognized the urgent need and expanded its program to include women, serving individuals from prisons like Sanders Estes and Choice Moore.
Relearning How to Live
The first six weeks after release are critical for TRM residents. During this period, all basic needs—food, housing, bus passes, and transportation to parole appointments—are covered, alleviating immediate stress. This allows residents to focus entirely on “getting grounded,” obtaining driver’s licenses, addressing outstanding tickets, and finding their footing without the pressure of daily survival. Structure is paramount, with residents attending twice-daily classes, performing 20 hours of weekly community service, and adhering to strict schedules, including curfews, financial education, and behavior assessments. As Trinity House manager Steve Griffith explains, the goal is not punishment, but teaching responsibility and essential life skills for a successful future, including how to have healthy relationships and manage finances.
Restoring Futures and Families
For many at Trinity Restoration Ministries, the journey leads to profound personal healing and the restoration of fractured family relationships, much like Tara Burke’s reunion with her children. Program director Ashanti Smith notes that many residents find a lasting sense of home and community within TRM, often staying for months or even years. As Allen Scott, an early member of the ministry, affirms, the mission is to transform individuals into productive members of society, instilling these values in a biblical manner. Tara Burke, once a resident, now serves others, living a life free from addiction and demonstrating the powerful potential of a second chance.
| Measure | Trinity Restoration Ministries | Texas Statewide Average |
|---|---|---|
| Recidivism Rate | Less than 4% | 20% |
Frequently Asked Questions About Trinity Restoration Ministries
- What is Trinity Restoration Ministries (TRM)?
TRM is a Dallas-based faith-based nonprofit that provides a comprehensive reentry program for formerly incarcerated men and women, helping them rebuild their lives after prison. - Who does TRM serve?
TRM serves individuals transitioning out of Texas prisons, specifically those from Sanders Estes and Choice Moore, who are committed to transforming their lives. They serve both men and women. - What kind of support does TRM offer?
They offer crucial support including free housing, food, transportation, financial literacy classes, addiction recovery, anger management, community service, and professional development, all within a structured, accountable environment. - How successful is the TRM program?
TRM boasts an impressive 96% success rate, meaning less than 4% of participants return to prison, significantly lower than Texas’s statewide recidivism rate of 20%. - How can I learn more or get involved with TRM?
For more information about Trinity Restoration Ministries, including ways to support or get involved, you can visit their website at www.trmsouthdallas.org/.
The work of Trinity Restoration Ministries highlights the profound impact that dedicated, community-based support can have on individuals seeking a fresh start and a better future for themselves and for Dallas.
Trinity Ministry Offers Second Chances in Dallas
