Since founding A New Way of Life in 1998, I have worked tirelessly to give formerly incarcerated women the opportunity to create new lives for themselves and their children. A New Way of Life provides women with safe housing, assists with re-establishing community connections and creates an environment that allows them to heal from trauma. This enables women to connect with dreams and aspirations of the past while working toward a better future.

In 2017 and 2018, I visited 64 prisons and jails in 26 states and three countries, and I realized that most of the women I met would not have access to a place like A New Way of Life after release. Because of my own prison experiences, it became clear to me long ago that if women had safe homes to live in after incarceration, they would have a chance to make a better life for themselves. But A New Way of Life can’t serve the thousands of formerly incarcerated women who need help. Thus, SAFE Housing Network was born.

We welcome you to join us as we work to help women, families and our communities break the cycle and heal from the formidable experiences of incarceration.

Susan Burton, founder of SAFE Housing Network and A New Way of Life