Success Stories

Rick’s Story

Rick was referred to Alvis House Employment Services by his Parole Officer. He had been looking for employment and was homeless. He enrolled in the Alvis House program and took to heart all of the suggestions and skills provided to him. As a result of the program, he successfully gained employment at Allied Fabrication. At present, he is applying for college admission and federal grant monies to pursue his dream of entering the medical field in the areas of radiology and/or surgical technology.

Heather’s Story

“I have wanted to change my life ever since I became a mother in my junior year of high school. As I proceeded with my life it seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I was not good enough or family issues occurred and I started losing hope. Alvis House gave me back my understanding and hope for a successful life by breaking down the barriers and teaching me the steps to move forward. I have been working since I was 14, holding jobs here and there and never really succeeding. I really wanted a career. Alvis House helped me start the steps to pursue college, which I was always afraid of doing because of finances, and my intelligence level and fear of failing or not being good enough. The staff didn’t accept those things as excuses or reasons, they just gave me a boost and guided me where I was afraid to go and now I have applied to start college in the fall of 2007. The staff at Alvis House showed me respect and patience and guided me back to the path of self worth.”

Andrew’s Story

Andrew M. was in the Wellness Program, a specialized, six-month substance abuse treatment program. He was suicidal when he came to Alvis House and didn’t know how to overcome his addiction. He found the thinking errors program very helpful and learned better ways to react to situations. He made a great deal of progress in the program and was able to obtain a full time job at Holiday Inn. Andrew attributes much of his new, positive outlook to how he was treated by the agency’s staff.

Michael’s Story

Michael is a client in the Alvis House Reflections Program for individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues. His wife, Christina, and their children participate in the family support program. Michael says, “The staff here is very supportive and helpful. Coming to this program is one of the best things I could have done. I have a path to a new way of living now and my family and I understand each other a little better, too.”

The incidence of serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, is two to four times higher among offenders than it is among those in the general population. Research has demonstrated that among offenders with serious mental disorders, more than 70% also have a substance abuse problem. Alvis House’s Wellness and Reflections Programs provide comprehensive drug and alcohol and mental health services to its participants over a six-month minimum period. The goal of these programs is to help clients break the cycle of mental illness symptoms, substance abuse, and criminal behavior and maximize their potential for living and functioning effectively in the community.

Agency Success Rate

From July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2007, 4,201 individuals with criminal records completed the Alvis House employment program and 2,843 of those individuals (68%) were placed into employment. This compares to studies that have found that one year after release, as many as 60% of former inmates are not employed in the regular labor market. [Federal Probation, “A Journal of Correctional Philosophy and Practice,” June 2001]

Each year since 1998, Alvis House has sent a random sample of clients who had completed the Alvis House program and had been out of the Alvis House program for at least one year to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC). Staff in the Bureau of Planning and Evaluation has provided follow up data on each client.

Between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 2006, 4,663 clients successfully completed the Alvis House program. Samples ranging from 103 to 274 have been submitted to ODRC each year, for a total of 1,533 during the past eight years. Of the 1,533 studied, 221 have recidivated. Recidivism, or re-entry into the criminal justice system, is defined as the conviction and return to the penal system for a new offense or for a serious parole violation.

This data demonstrates that in annual studies conducted for the past eight years, Alvis House clients have had a recidivism rate after at least one full year of being out of the program of just 14.4%.

This compares to a major study conducted by the Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics which found that within three years, 62% of released prisoners had been rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor, 47% were reconvicted, and 42% were returned to prison or jail. The study sample represented more than half of all released state prisoners in 1983.