Neighborhood Philanthropy: LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries
Oxford is host to some wonderful non-profit organizations that provide for our community in so many ways. We want to provide a glimpse of these organizations each month. According to the U.S. Department of Justice-Bureau of Justice Statistics, Mississippi has an incarceration rate at or above 650 per 100,000 residents. Mississippi is second only to Louisiana in incarceration rates. LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries was created to help the newly released (6 months or less) Lafayette county ex-offenders gradually rebuild their ties to the community, secure housing and transition to becoming productive citizens.
Founded in March 2016 by Alonzo Hilliard, current Executive Director, LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries provides 6 months of a safe, structured, supervised environment, as well as spiritual guidance, employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services as needed for ex-offenders. Also, it provides temporary/transitional housing up to 30 days, food, spiritual counseling, job placement, financial management, mental health assistance and other programs for displaced (homeless) Lafayette County residents.
Alonzo recently shared, “Injustices come in many forms. When an ex-offender is released from prison after 25 years behind bars, with only the clothes on his back and no way to get home or begin a new life, this is an injustice within itself. Many inmates leave prison into a state of homelessness. The approximate "living wage" for a single person in MS is approximately $24,000 per year. A person can be employed full time and not remotely earn enough money to pay even close to most area rents. It is even more difficult with the ex-con stigmas that ex-offenders face.” LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries is constantly working to find new strategies to help with these types of situations.
Alonzo also shared, “According to the MS Department of Corrections, 33% of convicted felons in MS who are released end up back in the system. A big factor is many ex-offenders can't find jobs. LOUMRM leaders main initiative is aimed at reducing the cycle of recidivism for offenders. The Leaders have consolidated a list of area felon-friendly employers and will serve as liaison between employee and employer.”
We are so fortunate to have LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries in Lafayette county and applaud its dedication to helping those recently released from prison experience a second chance. As a 501c3 non-profit, LOU Mercy Re-Entry Ministries is always looking for financial donors, volunteers and employers interested in providing job opportunities. For more information, please contact Alonzo Hilliard 662-380-5846 or alonzohilliard.ah@gmail.com.
