CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - A new transitional house is marking its final days of construction.
FirstFollowers of Champaign has been working on providing a transitional housing for men who had served time in prison since 2016. The Housing Authorities of Champaign County have helped make this possible after many years of hard work.
Though it is a place to provide for people, it goes beyond that. FirstFollowers has a program called GoMad Scholars that focuses on helping those who have either served time in prison or are on parole.
One of the assistant supervisors of the program, Coreyon Mallory, said this is a program that young adults need. He knows firsthand why.
"My father wasn't there and he wasn't really showing me how to be a real man. I didn't get that solid structural manhood structure and I was basically learning it on my own," said Mallory.
He said he was in and out of jail as a kid and though he didn't grow up here, he is a community member and has seen a huge need for this transitional house for many.
According to a Prison Policy Study, people who have been in prison once are seven times more likely to return.
"That creates a barrier," said Marlon Mitchel, the founder of FirstFollowers.
He said he has found through surveys created in the area that many people cannot find housing or jobs because they are in the system. He wants to be able to help those people through this transitional housing.
He said the housing will focus on helping people get their GED and any kind of assistance they need.
The home will be for five men. Four people who are on parole will be able to live in the house.
The house is expected to be fully done by Dec. 1. FirstFollowers will proceed to select who moves in during the second week of December.
