Today, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-05) and Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers joined local officials in Manchester for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Dismas Charities Manchester Re-Entry Center located on Muddy Gap Road. The new half-way house will create 22 new jobs in Clay County. Dismas Charities was recently awarded a competitive federal contract with the Manchester Federal Correctional Institution to help individuals transition back into society. The Manchester Re-Entry Center will provide in-house services to 27 men and women from the Eastern District of Kentucky and 14 home confinement residents. 

"This new facility is a sign that great things are on the horizon for the City of Hope," said Congressman Rogers. "When Dismas Charities was looking for a community to call home in Eastern Kentucky, the City of Manchester demonstrated they were ready for a facility of this magnitude, and willing to help folks who have been given a second-chance in life."

The annual payroll and benefits for employees will equal an estimated $700,000, plus Dismas Charities has budgeted approximately $500,000 annually for local goods and services.

"Not only does Dismas Charities provide critical services for individuals who are starting a new chapter in their lives, but this organization has taken a leap of faith by investing in our community and creating much needed jobs right here in Clay County," said Senator Stivers. 

Dismas Charities was founded in 1964 and operates 33 programs in 13 states. The Manchester facility is designed to provide services for 40 residents, but has the capacity to expand for 48 residents. The facility will establish a local Community Advisory Board to assist in program planning. 

"In the last two years, 81 residents in our Louisville and Lexington programs have come from Manchester and surrounding communities," said Ray Weiss, President/CEO of Dismas Charities. "Had this center existed, these 81 men and women, as well as their families, would have been able to re-unite more easily without the barriers of distance and transportation."

Dismas Charities develops individual programs for each resident to reduce recidivism. The program will help residents prepare for and obtain employment, reunite families, develop financial literacy and responsibility, parenting, substance abuse and mental health. 

Dismas Charities has invest $2.8 million in land acquisition, development, construction and furnishings for the Manchester facility that is scheduled to open February 1, 2017.