Dismas House opened our doors on Richards Street in Worcester in April of 1988. Since then, hundreds of former prisoners have called Dismas home, as they reconcile with society, struggling to stay clean and sober, finding decent jobs, and reconnecting with families. In 2007, Dismas opened the Father John Brooks House, where Dismas residents, both men and women, live in shared or single apartments while they work and continue on a path to recovery. Named for the President Emeritus of the College of the Holy Cross and Dismas supporter, Father John Brooks, the Brookes House provides a stable platform for former prisoners in semi-independent living with structured staff supports. The Dismas Family Farm, a holistic, rehabilitative and vocational reentry model, debuted in January of 2010 on a working wool farm in Oakham, which serves former prisoners and their families. Designed to be self-supporting, this working farm produces crops, animals, and finished wood products, as well as jams, granola, and candles produced for winter revenues. Goods are marketed through a variety of venues, with residents assisting in managing production, crafts, and sales. The population served at the farm is the former prisoner population Dismas House specializes in, and will serve as an integral part of the program, providing additional vocational training and job related skill development in addition to case management in a substance free environment.
