From March 18-22, Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) and the National Association of Women in Construction of St. Louis (NAWIC), will be partnering with the Center for Women in Transition to remodel four kitchens in transitional apartments for women reentering the St. Louis community after spending time in jail or prison.

Women who are involved in the criminal justice system can apply to be part of the Center for Women in Transition’s reentry program, located in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis. While in the program, women may live in transitional homes operated by the Center. The Center’s program provides women with safe and affordable housing, vocational training, counseling, life skills, court advocacy, mentor partnerships, and much more. The goal of the Center for Women in Transition is to give women the tools and resources to thrive so that they don’t return to incarceration.

“The benefits of the project are two-fold: In partnering with women’s trades organizations, clients not only get new kitchens, they also get to be around successful, strong women who are opening justice-involved women’s eyes to the fields of construction, carpentry, and other trades,” explained Erica Rogers, the Center for Women in Transition’s Vocational Specialist. Several Center clients are planning on participating in the project.