| Sometimes
Project COPE is... |
 just
someone to talk to. |
| Sometimes
Project COPE is... |
| help
with job search, housing, food,
clothes, transportation, orfamily
counseling. |
| Project
COPE is always... |
•
Teamwork
•
Tough love
•
People power
•
Reconciliation
•
An act of faith
•
Radical hospitality |
and
Project COPE needs you!
Project COPE
also needs your financial support. It costs money to travel
to prisons, train teams, provide support materials, maintain
an office and offer transitional housing for some of our
clients. Project COPE depends entirely upon contributions
from people and congregations who care. Your gift is crucial,
greatly appreciated, and tax deductible. |
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Project COPE's primary mission is to
provide selected ex-offenders with the support they need to become
productive and competent members of society. Project COPE's congregation-based
partnership teams and transitional housing program offer close personal
relationships to help clients master their problems in the crucial
first year out of prison when the problems of adjustment are most
severe and the clients are most amenable to change. Through these
efforts ex-offenders achieve honorable independence and stability
and the entire community is protected and enriched.
|
| Each
month around 750 persons are released from Missouri prisons. Approximately
40% of these ex-offenders are returned to the St. Louis area. Around
55% - 80% of those released will return to prison because of parole
violations or new crimes, costing Missouri taxpayers more than $14,000
per inmate per year. |
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Project COPE serves ex-offenders who
have immediate basic needs related to food, shelter, health and
hygiene, transportation and employment. Ex-offenders without an
adequate home plan are at high risk for being homeless. Project
COPE needs funds to provide the following to each ex-offender who
is accepted into the transitional housing program: basic food/staples,
health/hygiene supplies, household cleaning supplies,
Ex-offenders often have very limited skills and no legitimate work
history. More than sixty percent (60 %) of Missouri inmates have
not completed high school. Some officials estimate that forty percent
(40 %) are functionally illiterate. Continuing one's education while
in prison is difficult and training for marketable skills is not
readily available.
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