Crossroads Ministry reaching out to community

By Courtney Warren

Many have seen Crossroads Treasures in Canton, however the story behind this building is much deeper than simply a thrift store.

Crossroads Ministry is a safe haven for women suffering from addictions, women that have been involved with the Mississippi Department of Corrections, or the Mississippi Judicial system. The ministry provides transition living and a program to successfully re-introduce them back into being productive citizens.

According to Vicki DeMoney, executive direction, “In the beginning, Crossroads was started for women coming from incarceration to have a safe place to live and transition back into life.  We started very small but have grown very quickly. We are a faith-based 4–6-month program that focuses on all of the needs of women. We have many classes that deal with a variety of issues, including relapse prevention, rebuilding relationships, critical thinking skills, computer classes, Bible studies, the importance of prayer and self-reflection, job readiness, and managing personal finances. 

“Our programs lead to learning how to live and work in unity with our other ladies.  Thanks to ‘The Net’ we have a mentor for each lady along with counselors that lead a small group and individual counseling as needed. Our plans are to introduce trauma therapy, which is needed by a number of our ladies. We want to do all that we can to set each woman up for success when they leave Crossroads.”

DeMoney said through the love and support of the Canton community, Crossroads Ministry can thrive.

“Their donations supply our thrift store Crossroads Treasures in Canton, which has enabled us to sell much high-quality clothing and household items at a very reasonable price.  It has become a place of community and fellowship. We look forward to sponsoring many more community outreach events through our new store location. Our store has recently moved and is now located in the historic Buttross building at 115 West Peace Street.”

Crossroads Ministry remains a successful program in helping keep women from relapsing and going back to prison, and or involved with the judicial system. 

“Our success rate for keeping women from prison, as compared to the overall recidivism rate for those that do not attend our program is striking.  Approximately 85 percent or our graduates stay out of prison and are able to come back to society with more stability by having all that is needed for a fresh start in life,” said DeMoney.

The volunteers and supporters have helped make the vision a reality.

“We are extremely dependent on individual donors and supporting churches who make up approximately 55 percent of our budget. Without them, we simply could not exist. Grants from foundations, our MDOC supplemental support along with net proceeds from our store that make up the balance or our income. We have an independent professional audit firm, that does annual reviews of our financial practices, and we comply with all federal and state disclosure regulations. We want to be excellent in our financial management practices,” she said.  

Crossroads Ministry was founded in 2008 with one focus, to have a home of healing for women who were broken.

“Being that safe harbor in the storm of their lives until they can once again reunite with their family and stand on their own two feet. After volunteering on the inside of the prison our founders realized that too many women were left in prison after making parole because there had no safe place or home to go to,” said DeMoney.

“Many women were left in prison simply because they did not an acceptable location for them to live.  Twelve years ago there were no transitional homes for women.  We had a vision for a home in Madison County and a ministry in Canton,” she added.

For more information visit www.crossroadsms.org