Help for RSO's

Registered Sex Offenders (RSO's) are those members of our society who have been convicted of a sex crime, have been sentenced, and most often, incarcerated, have done their time, have been released, and returned to society. In the state of Oklahoma, the vast majority of these have received some sort of treatment or psychological therapy through the Department of Corrections.

To learn more about the social aspects and ramifications of this critical subject,
check out the website of New Name Ministries in Ft. Worth, especially their page
on social reform.

Because we at H4H get calls from a variety of places to help with the very prickly issues of RSO needs (housing, employment, other reentry-related issues), we have built this page to describe what we can and cannot do to help.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

We don't believe in being "soft on sex offenders" but instead, we want to use, as a community, our best gifts to create intelligent and lasting solutions, because at the end of the day, we have to protect our families and children, and work together to enhance public safety.

It is hard to maintain that balance between compassion and justice, mercy and righteousness, but that is what we are about. Restorative Justice is about looking at both sides of the crime -- and trying to bring healing to the victim and the victimizer. "Compassion" comes from the Latin words meaning "suffer with" and Restorative Justice means that we as a community have to "suffer with" the victim and "suffer with" the perpetrator, both, to experience true, lasting healing.

We are a ministry of helps and a "traffic director" to help educate and guide families and individuals to find helpful solutions to very painful problems.

We are an all-volunteer ministry and don't have a benevolence fund to give out cash assistance, although we can steer you toward those sorts of resources, sometimes.

We only operate in the Oklahoma City metro area, although we have contacts with resources in other parts of the state, and beyond.

We are NOT a housing ministry, although we have helped with some housing situations.

We do NOT encourage RSO's from other states to move here, just because there might be more options here than where they are.  We are only open to helping those who are living in Oklahoma City (metro area) and who are struggling to restore their lives and families after incarceration.

We primarily work with RSO's who have become sincere, practicing Christians and who are sincerely repentant and willing to follow the commands of the Bible. If you are a RSO who is anti-Christian, rebellious to authority, and/or not willing to work out your life in the context of obedience to the Lord, there is probably very little we can do to help you, although we are willing to try, if you are.

HOUSING OPTIONS

There are NO emergency shelters in OKC that will take in a RSO, period. If you are on the verge of becoming homeless, your only option is "Extended Stay Motels" (see list here). But it is obviously more expensive. Email us to ask for a list of extended stay motels in green zones with weekly and monthly rates.

We have heard that there is some funding available to pay for emergency housing for ex-felons and we looking in to how to acquire that funding, but as of right now, we have NO FUNDING to pay for these emergency situations.

If an RSO is already a resident, and has a job, and has a vehicle, but just can't find a place to live, we know of several mobile home dealers who have REPO'd mobile homes, already on land (out, away from the City a bit), that have easy financing terms, and can be obtained rather quickly (less than 30 days in most cases). The mortgage payment, for land and home, starts at around $600.  If they can find a roommate and share the expense, that cuts the monthly payment to $300.  H4H will help in finding roommates, on a case-by-case basis.

There are a number of apartment complexes in the OKC metro area that will allow a RSO to live there. (Please contact us for a confidential list with contact information and comments included. This information will only be given out to those we KNOW are reliable in their quest for information.)

We may have more housing options in the future, possibly including a faith-based halfway house and a residential therapeutic program, but until public opinion shifts, and the knee-jerk reaction of the media in general, then zoning is going to continue to be the major obstacle to reasonable housing solutions.

EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS

We have found a number of employers that will hire RSOs or simply don't care who they hire. This is very confidential information (due to the strong bias against RSOs by the public and the media).  This information will only be given out to those we KNOW are reliable in their quest for information.

THE RESTORATION INDEX

We use an assessment tool to try to quantify the capacity of a person to be helped and their ability to sustain the help they receive. It is called The Restoration Index and combines objective and subjective measures to build a profile of the candidate. It helps us discern who we are qualified to help, with our limited resources, and who is beyond our reach. RSOs asking for help will first be interviewed and assessed, and then directed toward the best options for their situation.

EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL SUPPORT

H4H has signed up with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to be a part of "Transition Teams" for those RSOs coming out of prison. The DOC Transition Coordinators work with inmates about to exit the system and who need assistance with re-integrating into society.  RSOs are especially difficult to deal with and we stand ready to help in those situations.

ALL OF THIS IS GEARED TOWARD CREATING SOLUTIONS TO PAINFUL PROBLEMS THAT WILL WORK TOWARD REDUCING THE CHANCE OF RECIDIVISM BY DEALING WITH ROOT ISSUES, NOT SYMPTOMS!

THE GOAL: NO MORE VICTIMS!