The mission of Abe Brown Ministries is to break cycles of incarceration by helping to renew the minds of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated citizens, motivating them to change their behaviors and achieve purposeful lives.
“We do this as a compassionate demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ,” said Abe Brown Ministries’ director of fund development, Denise Anderson. “We are a premiere organization that reduces recidivism, replenishes the workforce, reunifies and rebuilds families as well as reinforces and renews the strength of communities.”
Abe Brown Ministries’ inspHire Comprehensive Reentry Program serves Hillsborough, Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties by providing wraparound services, including transitional living housing for those who have been released from incarceration and are seeking to become self-sufficient, thriving members of the community.
“As part of the wraparound services, the inspHire Program reeducates and reskills the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, now renewed citizens, in a comprehensive learning environment to deliver training for personal growth and professional development paths to achieve life objectives,” Anderson said. “We provide transitional living services for a safe, supportive residence for the inspHire Program participants in which they are able to live purposeful and industrious lives as community citizens, at home or wherever their journey leads them.”
One of the greatest challenges for those who have experienced incarceration and are returning citizens to the Hillsborough County community is finding safe, secure, available and affordable housing.
“Abe Brown Ministries partners with housing providers in the community to support the personal growth and professional development process,” Anderson said. “The transition living homes that Abe Brown Ministries partners — two of which are in Brandon, one women’s home and one men’s home — provide the comfort of being able to return to a comfortable home environment after spending most of the day in the learning classroom, on-site at Abe Brown Ministries.”
The transitional homes in Brandon are located on the HART bus line for easy access and transportation to class, provide safe, secure, available and affordable living space.
“Abe Brown Ministries invites anyone interested in facilitating the returning citizens’ transition back into our community either by guiding them to enroll in the Abe Brown Ministry’s inspHire Comprehensive Reentry Program or through providing transition living housing to those in the program to contact Abe Brown Ministries,” Anderson said.
If you would like to learn more about the services offered by Abe Brown Ministries or would like to partner with the ministry to be a transitional living home provider, you can visit its website at www.abebrown.org, or call 813-247-3285, ext. 200, from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to speak with its community resource coordinator.
