Parenting Program At Oregon's Women's Prison Funded For 2 More Years

By Amelia Templeton (OPB)
Aug. 6, 2015 2:02 a.m.

The Portland YWCA and state lawmakers have stepped in to continue a program that helps some mothers at Oregon's women's prison bond with their kids.

The program, called the Family Preservation Project, targets women serving time for non-violent offenses at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Willsonville. It serves about a dozen families at a time.

The Department of Corrections cut the program earlier this year, saying it cost too much — $300,000 a year — and served too few people.

That prompted the mothers in the Family Preservation Project to spend weeks in Salem lobbying the legislature to restore funding.

"When you're able to reach out to your kids, and console them or help them with homework while you're incarcerated, it's priceless," said Nova Sweet, who spent 36 months in Coffee Creek on burglary and drug charges.

The program allows mothers to connect with their children twice a month in a room stocked with books and art supplies. Social workers counsel the mothers on the inside and run a support group for caregivers raising the kids on the outside.

Sweet said the program made it easier for her and her two children to transition into life as a family after her release.

"I went straight to making lunches, taking my kids to school, putting them to bed, setting expectations. I know without a doubt that's because of the program, because there's no way my kids would have been able to trust me, had I not had all that practice before I left prison," she said.

Sweet estimated she traveled to Salem once or twice a week for three months to make her case to lawmakers.

Senator Chip Shields, a Democrat who represents North and Northeast Portland, helped write the end of session budget bill that included $400,000 to keep the program running for two more years.

"The funding for this is one-time funding, so it's going to be a battle for the next legislative session," Shields said.

As part of the funding deal, the YWCA of Portland agreed to administer the program.

Susan Stoltenberg, the YWCA's executive director, said she expects the Family Preservation Project to re-launch in September.

"We're looking, in partnership with the Department of Corrections, to see if we can serve more women, just as deeply, and to expand on our work with the women to support each other inside the prison," she said.

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