The SJN SVDP Jail Ministry was founded in 2015 initially as a Bible Study with about 8 volunteers.  The ministry currently has growing list of 30 volunteers that go into the Delaware County Jail (DCJ). We have pastor support from both SJN and Delaware St. Mary’s to the jail.

Men’s Bible Study is every Tuesday evening.  The group sizes will vary by program. Bible study is rotation by dorm to be able to spread out the opportunity for all inmates.   Each minister determines their own study.  Some ministers share the last Sunday’s readings; some share that day’s readings. We have special material available ranging from brief catechisms, how to pray the rosary, inspirational readings from Church Fathers, to Liturgy of the Hours.  We are allowed to leave rosaries for inmate’s personal property. We have supported book drives for the jail library. We regularly provide Bibles, official Catechisms (English/Spanish).  We try to accommodate some special requests for literature or for example reading glasses.    The ministry will bring winter coats and additional clothing to the jail for inmates released during bad weather.  We provide an invitation to Mass at St. John Neumann by providing the weekly Mass schedule, and contact information for the SVDP Help Line and the parish office.

Men and Women’s Navigation is every Saturday morning. The ministry provides a tool box with subject resources. For Navigation, the majority of the inmates are signed up for the sessions through LINC (Lives in Need of Connection). The inmates that take part in LINC have an earnest desire to seek guidance for their release. We discuss six topics on a weekly rotation: Jobs, Relationships, Mental Health, Anger Management, Addiction and Life Skills.  The Navigation program does a Needs Assessment for each inmate. We ask if they have sufficient clothing, employment, if they need treatment of any kind, or shelter upon release.  A good percentage of the inmates have no place to go.   From our April 2 assessment, 6 of 10 male Navigation inmates said that they need shelter when released.  This ratio is about average for our 60-day inmate rotation.

We have researched shelters for returning citizens, we found that there were not many places where we can send the men.  Then, DCJ called one Saturday afternoon saying, we have a returning citizen that was being housed at a motel, but he has to leave.   Could we help?  We had learned of St. Vincent Haven (SVH) in Newark, they told us there was room.  We convinced the client to give it a try and drove him for an intake.  He was able to stay for about 3 months and he got back on his feet.   The environment and positive results of SVH left an important impression.

We’ve since had some luck with SVH, but besides bed availability, many of our clients still need to come back to Delaware for reentry services or requirements.   

Because of the need in the community, the Jail Ministry worked with others on a plan to open a Men’s Shelter.   The Men’s Shelter of Delaware County, Inc. has non-profit designation, a Board of Directors, a business plan, fundraising plan, a grant writer, a business database, policies and procedures for operating a shelter, a floor plan and set of requirements for a building, relationships within our community and a great many details explored and prioritized.

We have the mindset that reentry needs aftercare.  Aftercare is successful with accompaniment.  The returning citizen has to be able to live within the community to take advantage of the benefits that are provided.  Having a shelter in the best possible location will fundamentally enhance our community of returning citizens.

Please continue to watch this site for updates on the status of our plans to build a new men's shelter in Delaware. Your support will be key to our ability to meet this need.