The long and winding drive up to the Dismas Family Farm in Oakham could be a metaphor for the journey taken by the dozen men  who live and work there. They are at the hilltop farm after spending time in correctional facilities, before moving on to transitional housing, and are starting down the road to recovery. They head out to assigned daily farm chores by 9 a.m.  They attend meetings that support their efforts to stay clean and sober. And they support each other.

The mission of Dismas House is to “reconcile former prisoners to society, and society to former prisoners, through the development of a supportive community.” MassHousing provided $75,000 to Dismas House for improvements to the kitchen at the 150-year old farmhouse. Funds came from MassHousing’s Center for Community Recovery Innovations, or CCRI, which provides modest support for sober housing communities across the Commonwealth. 

"I think this is the best program in Worcester," said Dismas Family Farm resident Theodore 'Teddy' Myers (pictured above). "When I leave here I, plan to go into the counseling field both for myself, to keep myself on the right track as well as to help others.  What I learned here is 'help someone else.' They give you the road map here, and you just have to do the work. I could never give back what this place has given me."