$20,000 Awarded to Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars
July 19, 2023 // Grants, South Dakota Fund Grants
The South Dakota Community Foundation (SDCF) recently awarded Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars (BSBB) with a $20,000 South Dakota Fund grant. Funds will provide operating support for the organization’s transitional housing in Watertown.
BSBB Executive Director Stacy Hendricks says, “We are passionate about building relationships in our community and throughout South Dakota, because as we all know, the cycle of substance use disorder and incarceration is a community problem that will require a community solution to create a better tomorrow for future generations. Hendricks says that funding from SDCF will allow BSBB “to continue to have the opportunity to support men and women in Watertown who are homeless and in need of a sober housing option so that they won't have to return to the same environment that attributed to their cycle of substance use disorder and incarceration.”
BSBB is a nonprofit organization in Watertown that has provided numerous services to individuals battling substance use disorder in the community, including transitional housing, since 2019. In August of 2021, BSBB opened up a home for women. In that home’s first year, BSBB provided 21 women, who were actively involved in the criminal justice system, with rent free housing while they worked on their recovery, found employment, and saved money to support their eventual permanent housing needs. In November of 2022, BSBB opened up a home for men and within just a few weeks, the home was full. BSBB works closely with several organizations and probation and parole officers throughout the Watertown area who recognize and respect the work that BSBB is doing to build a bridge between the community and the people served. Funding from SDCF will support operational expenses for BSBB’s two transition homes.
“The service BSBB provides is making the Watertown area stronger and safer,” says Ginger Niemann, SDCF Senior Program Officer. “Transitional housing services, like those offered by BSBB, help individuals build skills to be successful on their own.”
To learn more about funding opportunities offered by the SDCF, please visit our website at https://www.sdcommunityfoundation.org/
SDCF is a public non-profit organization established in 1987. SDCF, with offices in Pierre, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Aberdeen administers 1,200 funds benefiting hundreds of charitable organizations annually. The Foundation distributed nearly $30 million in grants in 2022 which made a tremendous difference in communities statewide. This would not have been possible without the generosity of our donors. If you have a specific cause you would like to support or would prefer to give for the general good of our state, please visit https://sdcommunityfoundation.org/giving to learn more or call 1-800-888-1842.