Below is a letter from Martha Moore that appears in the Spectator in response to opposition to the establishment of a Transitional House in the Altus area:

Sober Living House Planned for Franklin County

The MJP House is a sober living facility that will provide a safe haven for up to six non-violent female parolees.  To qualify for the program, a woman must be employable, drug-and alcohol-free, and willing to work hard to make the necessary changes in her life.  MJP House will be a place to get right with God, get back on track and get on with life as a contributing member of society.  However, do not assume that this will be a cushy place to lie on the couch and watch TV all day.  This is not a free ride; the residents will pay rent, do chores, raise the majority of their food, perform community service tasks throughout the area, attend church services, lifeskills classes, etc.  Through a combination of compassionate aid and strict accountability, our goal is to provide these women with the structure and nurture they need to become successful, law-abiding citizens of our community.

MJP House is the culmination of our vision – a program to serve those women who have lost their way, and in the process, lost everything.  Too many women have made bad choices and fallen into the trap of drugs and alcohol, losing their jobs, homes, families, friends, sometimes even their children in the process.  So they go to prison.  But what happens when they have served their time?  If they have an acceptable parole plan, they are escorted outside the prison gate with $100 and a few clothing items.  How are they to manage, with no transportation, no driver’s license, no phone, no place to stay, no food, no medical care, etc.?  And what about the children?  Is it any wonder that so many fail and return to criminal activity? 

I am honored to be a member of the LeadAR Class 14, a program funded by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture through the University of Arkansas.  The purpose of LeadAR is to learn from the cultural diversity and economic statistics of rural Arkansas, other states and countries and bring that knowledge back to improve and enhance our own communities.  We are each challenged to become more involved in the issues and politics locally, and to step out of our box and become leaders.  As part of this program, class members choose a community service project.  My choice was to found The MJP House to serve non-violent female parolees by offering them a safe haven where they can live and work in peace for up to two years.

In the state of Arkansas, it now costs $62,500 to house an inmate for one year.  If six women were in MJP House instead of prison, that could be a potential savings of $750,000 (6 x $62,500 x 2 years) in tax dollars.  But what about the human side of the equation?  Helping women change their lives is, to quote a famous ad, “priceless”.  Programs like these across the country have an 80% success rate.  I have every confidence that we can replicate that success here in our community.

God calls us to serve in many different ways; this is my calling and my passion.  We welcome your questions and will work hard to address any concerns that you might have, when we are prepared, with our Board of Directors present, we will invite every concerned person to submit questions for answering. 

Please contact us at MJP House of Hope   P.O. Box 336 Altus,AR 72821 and we will begin to prepare an agenda. No question will be discarded or ignored.

Hillary Clinton said "We need to understand that there is no formula for how women should lead their lives. That is why we must respect the choices that each woman makes for herself and her family. Every woman deserves the chance to realize her God-given potential. We also must recognize that women will never gain full dignity until their human rights are respected and protected. Now it is time to act on behalf of women everywhere. If we take bold steps to better the lives of women, we will be taking bold steps to better the lives of children and families too."

Theodore Roosevelt said ""It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man (or woman) who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself (or herself) for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he (or she) fails, at least he (or she) fails while daring greatly, so that his (or her) place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Italics are mine.

In closing, The MJP House is a sober living memorial to three men who could not find the help they needed in this life.  It is dedicated to Michael J Collins, Justin Noriega and Patrick Noriega – three men who had tragic endings, leaving holes in the heart and life of a child – my daughter, Carissa.  Our dream is that this house will be a sanctuary of hope and encouragement to those who so desperately need it.

Martha D. Moore

JoAnn King and Mary Ross were winners of a 96.7 second shopping spree from CV's Family Foods and KDYN.  The two had there shopping spree on Thursday at the CV's Family Food in Ozark.   JoAnn King grabbed $153.96 worth of groceries and Mary Ross collected $170.12 worth. 

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