We believe a woman's faith can bring about her transformation, helping her to overcome her past mistakes and build a new future. It can also give her the support she needs to make the difficult transition to life on the outside. We encourage each of our residents to find a church or spiritual community and to begin or continue a spiritual journey.
Methodist minister, Georgia Stone, recognized a need for a residential facility for women leaving prison when she founded Woman at the Well House in 1995 as an outgrowth of her prison ministry. We continue to be one of the few programs in the country serving this critical need. Woman at the Well House is currently able to house eleven women at a time for a recommended stay of six months.
In the Biblical story, (John 4:7-41), the 'woman at the well' assumes that nobody will associate with her. She is surprised that Jesus will look at her and even speak to her. She belongs to the wrong group.
Woman at the Well House serves a group of women who share this sense of being 'outcasts.' The fact that women released from prison in Bexar County, Texas, have been put out on unfriendly inner city streets at midnight certainly contributes to this feeling. Release time is 12:01 a.m., so that the county will be funded for that day but will not have the expense of housing the prisoner.
And this is only the beginning of what women ex-offenders face.
Often, no one is waiting for them on the outside. They are friendless, homeless, and penniless. They often have few job skills, little self-esteem, and have medical problems unaddressed during their incarceration. Women coming out of prison desperately need help. They need a safe place to go and rehabilitation programs to help them.
a former resident...
"When I came up for release from prison this last time, I knew I needed to do something different with my life. I had tried before and failed on my own. I knew I needed help.
My mother found Woman at the Well and I applied by mail and prayed to be accepted sight unseen.
You accepted me into the program and I will always be grateful for that. How can I ever begin to thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime?"
