What we do and why we do it.
Our Mission
Benevolence Farm seeks to cultivate leadership, promote sustainable livelihoods, and reap structural change with individuals impacted by the criminal legal system in North Carolina.
Our Vision
To create a more equitable, just, and nurturing world for women and the communities they transform.
At Benevolence Farm, we believe that we are more than our worst mistakes. We all have the right to safety, housing, food, healing, and connection rooted in dignity and self-autonomy.
Our flagship program — transitional housing and employment — provides a space for women and gender expansive people returning home from prison and jail to process, heal, and prepare for what’s next in a rural setting surrounded by nature. Benevolence Farm is one of the few places across the state that accepts people of all criminal convictions. After each person’s arrival, they sets their own goals and staff works alongside them to identify the right resources to succeed. Because each resident leads the way in their reentry, we see about 15% of our alumni return to incarceration within two years, and almost all who are re-incarcerated are for a technical violation regarding their probation or parole. Ultimately, we hope to measure the extent to which our alumni thrive in — and with — their communities of choice.
We also recognize that individuals and communities can only do so much to repair harm, heal, and thrive given our current political and social environment. Therefore, we take seriously our advocacy efforts to ensure rural spaces have their basic needs met and people can build healthy relationships with one another outside of the criminal legal system.
Our primary program areas for formerly incarcerated communities across rural North Carolina include:
- Safe and secure housing
- Living wage employment via our social enterprises
- Trauma-informed community resources
- Advocacy and outreach
