ORLANDO, Fla. – It only took Two-Fold H.E.L.P. Ministries 45 days to turn this property near Bobby Jones Road in Orlando into a newly renovated seven-bedroom transition home.
It’s the second home they’ve remodeled – all to help formerly incarcerated felons get back on their feet.
“I’m 55 years old. I got nothing. I live in a homeless shelter. Why not go do drugs. Why not go do crime and steal the stuff I want to have,” said Samuel Shaw.
Shaw was released from prison in March after spending two years behind bars. He said moving into their first home was a lifesaver.
“Having someone like this where I don’t have to do that and I don’t have return to the old way of life. It was a miracle,” Shaw said.
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Co-owners and sisters Linda, Chisholm and Joyce Sanders said this type of support is hard to come by for ex-felons.
“I spent five years in prison for a crime I did not commit. While I was inside, I had to help others,” Chisholm Sanders said.
The sisters say purchasing their first home cost them around $300,000. To renovate their second home was $80,000.
They’re paying all of this money out of pocket just to give people a fresh start.
“To put that kind of money into these kind of situations you got to have a heart for it. We’re hoping to to make success and help people get back on their things. The second chance a lot of people don’t wanna get them,” said Sanders.
They have six people living there. The owners say five of them have jobs. One is going to school and will have a guaranteed job after they graduate.
The home’s research room includes two computers that residents in transition can use to apply for jobs and look for other resources. Those who stay there will be given constant positive affirmations of vision, focus, determination, discipline, persistence and more, we were told.
They’re looking to get a van to help the residents get to job interviews, groceries store and other places they need.
If you’d like to donate or learn more about the project, click here.
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