A Story of Hope
In 2013, As a Catholic seminarian, Fr. Dustin joined parishioners visiting local prisons, ministering to those that are incarcerated. It was there that he listened firsthand to the fears and concerns of incarcerated men. It was then that he knew he was called not only to the priesthood, but the call within the call was to accompany those who lived their lives behind prison bars.
Fr. Dustin witnessed first-hand how nearing release dates for many men was not a time of celebration but of growing panic and uncertainty for the unknown future that awaited them. The distress of having nowhere to go, no resources, no support, and no plan, made freedom even more terrifying than the familiar traumas of prison life.
Riding back from out of the way prisons on rural Florida roads, Joseph House was born from the phone conversations that transpired between Fr. Dustin and longtime friend and co-founder, Sonya.
In 2019, Fr. Dustin secured a home for Joseph House to welcome several men returning from prison, to live and be supported, during their transition into a life of freedom and independence.
Since then, Fr. Dustin has been living in the Joseph House home, alongside these men, to be a constant support, mentor, and advocate for them.
Five years later, in 2023, Joseph House purchased its second home to continue welcoming and supporting men returning from incarceration. Joseph House has accompanied those coming out of prison into free community and seen them become business owners, chefs, college graduates, and public speakers.
You can help bring hope to the hopeless, too.
And we can give you that opportunity. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the world. In Florida, we incarcerate our population at a rate higher than any independent democracy on earth. But we are not without hope. The statistics tell us without support services, two-thirds of those released will return to prison within three years. Joseph House is breaking that cycle, and you can help us do it.
Your donation helps make a house a home for those vulnerable in our society. Your generosity brings hope. And because of people like you, we are breaking the cycle, once and for all.
