House sought to help women who break law

The Sankofa House would be much more than a halfway house or shelter.
SHARON, Pa. -- The city could soon have a transitional house for female criminal offenders who need help straightening out their lives.
Lynda Moss-McDougall, founder and executive director of The Sankofa House for Women Inc., said the organization doesn't have a home yet but is already holding various fund-raising events to secure seed and operating capital.
She's been working on the project for two years and told city council Thursday that she might ask the city to donate land for the facility.
She's looking at property in the Sharon/Farrell Weed & amp; Seed area which encompasses a 60-block section along the Sharon/Farrell border.
It would be much more than a halfway house or a shelter, she said.
The house would provide transitional living arrangements for four or five women classified as nonviolent, low-level offenders, Moss-McDougall said, noting that would include women convicted of such crimes as fraud, theft, forgery, alcohol or drug-related activities, and probation or parole violations.
Residents of the house will have to be referred there by a judge or the state Department of Corrections, she said, noting that a judge could opt to send a woman to Sankofa House instead of to prison.
Plans call for the facility to offer counseling, outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, educational programs, parenting classes, social life skills training, employment search assistance, money management skills and support groups, Moss-McDougall said.
The goal is to provide a safe and structured environment where the women will have an opportunity to get the support and resources they need to become self-sufficient and contributing members of society, she said.
gwin@vindy.com