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Mission Moldova
New Direction Program Struggles with Funding 1/19/13
Tatum Guinn
CBS 7 News Reporter
January 19, 2013
tguinn@cbs7.com
Midland - The New Direction program has helped over 100 men who are recently out of jail get back on their feet. However due to the lack of funding, the organization has been getting by month-to-month to make ends meet. They've even had to turn men away.
More than 72,000 people were released from jail last year in the state of Texas, however 23,000 of them will end up going back within three years according to research released from the state.
The New Direction Ministry is working to drop that number, but without the funds their goal is not possible.
Tyronne McGruber has seen men fresh out of jail change their lives.
"We saw a need years ago to bring men in and not just released on the street, but don’t’ have somewhere to go," he said.
New Direction provides these men with a place to go and get back on their feet.
"We're actually saving someone from being victimized by having a place like this. If we don't have it, they're going somewhere," McGruber said.
That somewhere is right back to prison. That's why True Lite Fellowship Church Senior Pastor Roy Smith says it's important for there to be a place like this in Midland.
“In reality you have these men that are someone’s dad, husband, brother, son. Don’t they deserve a second chance? That’s what New Direction is,” he said.
However less donations this year has made it a struggle for them to even stay open.
"Without that funding we don't exist, we aren't here," McGruber said. "Our clientele is men out of prison, so it's a battle."
But he says the life change is real. One of those men who has turned his life around is Joe Forsythe.
"I've been to prison twice. Both times I had a chance to get out, but I was at a point in my life where I thought I had more going for me in prison than I did in my own life," he said. "This program reminds men of their purpose in life and that there is something to live for. It has definitely changed my life for the better."
New Direction’s goal is to see more lives changed like Forsythe's, but without proper funding their goal is hard to reach.
All the men at New Direction encourages everyone to come out and visit their facility to see the life change for themselves.
If you'd like to donate to New Direction, you can reach them at 686-9140.
If you’d like to visit, they are located at 509 N. Loraine St. in Midland.