About us

Opportunities for Re-entry, Transition, and Independence

We are a community-based organization that provides housing, education and employment resources, as well as family unification support to communities that are at risk for substance abuse, homelessness, incarceration, and mental health challenges.
 

Who We Are

Started in 2005 by Lisa Hall, Open Arms Sevices is a place to learn, to grow, and to make a better life through mutual support and shared recovery.

OAS has made itself available to the Department of Corrections (DOC), various homelessness prevention organizations, and community treatment facilities, as a safe place where men of any race, religion, or sexual orientation can get the support they need to build a sustainable life while helping others to do the same thing.

Open Arms Services targets tough-to-reach populations of individuals who find themselves disadvantaged by past circumstances and seek to challenge themselves to escape negative lifestyles. Using a structured approach, OAS was designed to assist and empower individuals while practicing the utmost dignity and respect to the at-risk individual. We offer the support these people need while they work through negative behavioral patterns and find new ways in which to be successful.
 

How It Works

Open Arms Services takes a one-to-one approach to finding the perfect place for those in need. We believe it’s better to put the right people in the right places than it is to just give people a release address or someplace to dry out. We’re not the best option for every person in need, and not every person in need is the best match for our shared housing, but we strive to create the best matches possible to foster success for everyone involved.

To that end we don’t have sign-up forms or a waiting list, and instead like to talk to each person in need — as well as their advocates — to make sure that we get all the details right. That means talking on the phone and reaching out person-to-person. It’s a little more work, but we’ve found it’s always worth it in the end.

We accept all DOC housing vouchers, and rent starts at just $550 a month per-bed, with a small additional application fee up front. To get started, please call the number above — it’s that simple.

You Can Help

OAS is not a traditional non-profit, and as such we are unable to take cash donations. That said, our houses can always use the basics, such as lovingly used furniture, bedding, and kitchen utensils.

In addition, we occasionally solicit grants from local and national housing, criminal justice reform, and addiction prevention groups to help keep everything affordable for those who are most at risk. If your organization offers such services then please feel free to call the number listed above to talk to us in person about how we might be a good match for such grants. The more organizations like yours help us then the more we can help those who truly need it.