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WITH NOTHING -- NO I.D., NO CAR, NO JOB, NO PLACE TO LIVE. SMOOTHIE TIME IN THE KITCHEN, A MUNDANE DOMESTIC MOMENT IS ANYTHING BUT FOR THE WOMEN OF DISMAS HOME. >> I AM A FELON. IT WAS A DWI, ONE TIME. AMY: SHE DID TWO YEARS IN STATE PRISON. NOW AT 68, SHE IS TRYING TO REBUILD HER LIFE. FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE IS OFTEN THE BIGGEST HURDLE. PA SARA HAS MADE MY LIFE, SERIOUSLY. AMY: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF -- AMY: THIS IS SARA LUTAT, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DISMAS HOME IN MANCHESTER, ONE OF THE SLIM RESOURCES FOR WOMAN TRANSITIONING OUT OF THE CORRECTIONS SYSTEM. SARA: WE REQUIRE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO CHOOSE THIS PROGRAM, YOU ARE GOING TO DO THE WORK, AND THE WORK IS THE HARDEST YOU HAVE EVER DONE. AMY: INTENSIVE THERAPY DREDGING UP PAINFUL MEMORIES, WORKING ON SOBRIETY, BEING ACCOUNTABLE, DISMAS HOME ISN’T A CRASH PAD FOR UNEMPLOYED EX-CONS -- IT’S A LAUNCH PAD FOR WOMEN WHO WANT TO FIND INDEPENDENCE AND SUCCES WHO NEVER WANT TO GO BACK HERE. PAT: I MADE ONE MISTAKE, AND I AM PAYING FOR IT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE NOW. I SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET INTO SOME KIND OF FACILITY, BUT YOU -- FACILITY THAT IS GOING TO HELP ME, BUT YOU CAN’T BECAUSE OF THAT STIGMA. AMY: LUTAT IS PUSHING LEGISLATORS TO FUND MORE PROGRAMS LIKE DISMAS HOME FOR WOMEN AND IS CRITICAL OF THE UPTICK OF SO-CALLED SOBER HO

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Women who have served time in New Hampshire prisons or jails often struggle when they're released, but a facility in Manchester is trying to help.>> Download the FREE WMUR appFormer inmates have rules to follow when their incarceration ends. They can't leave the state, and they can't live with other felons. But they also often leave prison with nothing -- no identification, no car, no job and no place to live.Some of them can find a place at Dismas Home in Manchester."I am a felon," said Dismas Home resident Pat Morrison. "It was a DWI. One time."Morrison served two years in state prison. Now, at 68, she's trying to rebuild her life. Finding a place to live is often the biggest hurdle."Sara saved my life," Morrison said. "Seriously."Sara Lutat is the executive director of Dismas Home, one of the few resources for woman transitioning out of the corrections system."We require, if you're going to choose this program, you're going to do the work," Lutat said. "And the work is the hardest thing that they've ever done."Residents participate in intensive therapy, dredging up painful memories. They work on sobriety and being held accountable. Lutat said Dismas Home isn't a crash pad for unemployed ex-cons. It's a launch pad for women who want to find independence and success, and who never want to go back to prison."I made one mistake, and I'm paying for it for the rest of my life now," Morrison said. "I should be able to get into some kind of facility, but you can't because of that stigma."Lutat is pushing legislators to fund more programs like Dismas Home and is critical of the uptick of so-called sober houses in Manchester.Lutat and former residents of Dismas Home will speak next month at a symposium at St. Anselm College in Manchester. "Returning Women's Perspective: Where Do We Go From Here?" will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 1 in the Melucci Auditorium in the Roger and Francine Jean Student Center.The event is free and open to the public.