Bill Text: VA HR171 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Friends of Guest House, Inc.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-02-15 - Bill text as passed House (HR171ER) [HR171 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2013-HR171-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Friends of Guest House, Inc., located in Alexandria, is commended for its work to transition women back into society after they have served in prison, reducing recidivism and saving taxpayers money; and WHEREAS, Friends of Guest House, Inc., (Guest House) was founded in 1974 as Friends of Women Prisoners by Betty McConkey, a federal parolee, to be a safe haven where nonviolent, female ex-offenders in Northern Virginia could gain the skills needed to enable them to re-enter society after incarceration; and WHEREAS, Guest House offers case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and assistance with medical care, education, vocational training, employment, housing, and child custody through its outreach, aftercare, and residential programs; and WHEREAS, Guest House reports that without reentry support, the recidivism rate is 70 percent, but with re-entry support, the recidivism rate plummets to seven percent; and WHEREAS, Guest House also provides cost-effective services, with the average cost of services for one year for one woman at Guest House estimated at $8,000 and the average cost to maintain one incarcerated person for one year in the Commonwealth estimated at $24,000; and WHEREAS, Guest House receives generous support from state and local government agencies, foundations, religious groups, businesses, and individuals and is a member of the United Way of the National Capital Area; and WHEREAS, Guest House has earned numerous awards and accolades for its work to help women ex-offenders re-enter society, including the Washington Area Women's Foundation Leadership Award and Caron Washington Metropolitan Area Organizational Advocacy Award; and WHEREAS, Guest House was also twice selected as one of the Greater Washington Catalogue for Philanthropy's "Best Smaller Nonprofits"; and WHEREAS, Executive Director Kari Galloway was honored for her Guest House work in 2011 by the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau and Alexandria Commission for Women; she was also selected to chair a Focus Area Committee on Women's Re-Entry with the Virginia Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Council; and WHEREAS, throughout its nearly 40-year history, Guest House has served thousands of women and their children, helping them gain the skills and self-confidence to successfully transition back into society; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Friends of Guest House, Inc., hereby be commended for its work with nonviolent, female ex-offenders in Northern Virginia; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Friends of Guest House, Inc., as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration and respect for the organization's commitment to helping women re-enter society. |
