Together, we are changing lives.
Please join Hananiah House in providing safe, stable transitional housing that empowers our residents to heal, grow, and build a positive future.
Never underestimate the power of community.
Time in prison is universally isolating and damaging – and not just for inmates.
Multiple studies show that having an incarcerated family member immediately shortens the expected lifespan of that inmate’s entire family. A lack of support after prison also has far-reaching negative consequences for an inmate’s whole community.
However, there is also good news! Research proves that providing an inmate with thoughtful, structured support during reintegration drastically improves the financial and medical outlook of everyone around them.
To put it plainly, we are all in this together, and we need your help.
From the Ashes
On the evening of March 8, 2023, a tragic accidental fire destroyed our first Hananiah House residence, displacing the women we serve and leaving us to start again. It is hard to put into words how difficult this loss was for our team and our residents…
The facts may help. In a recently released series of over 50 studies and reports conducted by the Prison Policy Initiative, one overwhelming truth surfaced: Housing is the single most important factor in determining whether an inmate will avoid repeat incarceration, stay healthy and sober, and advance economically.
Of course, the property we lost was much more than a house. It was also a home – the first stable, loving home many of our residents had ever experienced.
We are immensely grateful that no one was hurt in the fire, and our residents remained committed to their healing and growth. Our team remained just as committed to maintaining safe, stable spaces where women can start again.
That commitment helped power us forward, as we put into place emergency fundraising measures and spent countless hours quickly setting up another residence in a rented home. We are incredibly thankful for the community support we received from many individuals and organizations, including Providence Church, the Butler Snow Foundation, and the Office of the First Lady of Tennessee.
While this is never how we would have chosen to grow our program, we believe that there is good to be found in everything. In the months since the fire, we have been blessed to go from having nowhere to call home to having three residences!
We now have two homes in East Nashville serving our current program members. And with the generous support of our donors, we also rebuilt the original Hananiah House structure to serve as a step-up house, where graduates from our own program and other transitional houses in the area can begin to build a rental and credit history with a room of their own.
There is still much work to be done, but we have never felt more affirmed that this is the right work, and that we are privileged to do it.
Will you please consider a donation to support our residents? 100% of your donation will directly support the care, support, and healing of the women we serve.
If you would like to donate like-new furniture or housewares, please email us or call 615-671-7516.
Your donations directly support Hananiah House residents.
Hananiah House’s unique approach to transitional housing ensures that every staff member is directly involved in the training, accountability, and encouragement of our residents.
We take a stand against recidivism by helping our residents...
Gain safe, stable employment
Recover from trauma and abuse
Learn how to care for themselves and others
Actively contribute to their community
Acclimate to modern technology and communication
Administrative costs are closely managed and represent just 11% of our total annual operating budget. Staffing, house, and program expenses are also carefully budgeted to ensure your donation has maximum impact.
The prison system is irrefutably, painfully broken. But that does not mean women who have been incarcerated should be doomed to that same brokenness.
Hananiah House is committed to lasting change for a deserving and often overlooked population. Our goal is to create a sustainable model for post-incarceration transitional housing and employment that can be duplicated across Tennessee and the nation.
We manage your donations and our budget with that long-term focus in mind.
Real change takes time.
That’s why we plan for every Hananiah House resident to stay an average of 12 months. We understand that women leaving prison need reliable structure and support to set healthy boundaries, make goals for their future, and address the issues that caused their entry into the legal system.
During her stay, every woman progresses at her own pace through four tiers of guided coaching and training programs that not only instill valuable life and work skills, but also inspire hope, dignity, and independence.
Homecoming: Orientation (4 weeks)
Tier One: Instruction (2-3 months on average)
Tier Two: Implementation (1-2 months on average)
Tier Three: Consistency (2-3 months on average)
Tier Four: Sharing (1-2 months on average)
Independence: Graduation (2-4 weeks on average)
The lack of autonomy and predictable routines in prison causes extreme emotional stress and makes it a challenge for women to thrive upon release. Hananiah House is a safe space to learn and grow, with rules and expectations that deliberately break the harmful cycles of prison life.
Time at Hananiah House is also full of self-discovery. We use a variety of tools and counseling to help women learn more about their innate talents, drive, and communication style, so they can make healthy, informed relationship and career choices.
When a resident graduates from our program, she has demonstrated the ability to live independently, as well as be a positive role model for her family and community.
If you would like to volunteer your time to teach or encourage Hananiah House residents, please email us or call 615-671-7516.
If you or a loved one are interested in becoming a Hananiah House resident, please download and read our Hananiah House Qualifications form for more details about who is eligible and how to apply.