Questions are being raised about the Queensland Government's decision not to renew funding to a charity that helps female prisoners break the cycle of crime and poverty.

Sisters Inside established a outreach program at Townsville jail with the help of a $120,000 grant last year, a grant that has helped 188 inmates back onto the straight and narrow.

But the work of the program is under threat, with the newly-elected Newman government refusing to guarantee the funding will be made available this year.

Communities minister Tracy Davis says the funding was a one-off grant made by the former Labor government and that there was never a commitment for the funding to continue. The group will have to compete with other applications to see their funding renewed.

A former inmate from Townsville's prison has spoken to the ABC's 7.30 program about the devastating impact she believes the withdrawal of funding could have.

The former drug addict and prostitute - who wished only to be known as Renee - says Sisters Inside saved her life. Renee is 33 years of age and a mother of two.

Renee was on her second of three stretches in jail for drug and prostitution-related crimes when she was contacted by Sisters Inside.

It was their constant contact and support that made her determined to break her heroin addiction.

"I just went from the pot to the heroin. I didn't touch anything else. And that's why I went downhill. I didn't want to rely on anyone, rob anyone, so that's why I became a prostitute," she said.

But Renee is starting afresh - moving into a new home and looking forward to what lies ahead for the first time in a long time

"Once I got the job and saw what a happy life everyone was leading, I went on a boat for the first time and I just had so much fun. And going to the beach and just doing normal things that I'd never done before. It was wonderful," she said.

Renee doesn't want to give her last name, because she is afraid her dark past could catch up with her.

Despite her fears, she wants to speak out to help the support service she says saved her life.

"I cannot think of a better way to give back than by doing this. So, they helped me - I help them," she said.

"A nice lady called Jackie, she came up to see me every week, spoke to me every week, and kept me going and kept me in my job at work. And then she picked me up from the jail and we went and got a bond loan and I got a house and I got a job and I've been clean ever since," she said.

Renee's story is by no means unique. Every year Sisters Inside helps hundreds of women like her break the cycle of crime and poverty.

But now, its Townsville outreach service is under threat.

'The silent but'

Debbie Kilroy, the founder of Sisters Inside, says without funding she will have to walk away from her life passion.

"I'll have to travel to Townsville and tell those women that it's over," she said.

"We can't provide the services any more and I find that distressing and I'm sorry. I have to say I don't know how I'm going to walk away from the women.

"My life passion is about walking with and assisting women to move forward, to do well, to not go back to prison and not commit crimes, to not use drugs any more and raise their children, be healthy functioning families."

"But I'm going to have to go up there and say sorry we can't do anything any more."

"Campbell Newman said he was here for all Queenslanders. And now I can see the silent 'but'. But those women in Townsville and North Queensland and those women's children. He is not here for them," she said.

The new LNP Government marked its arrival with a garden party at Parliament House this week. For Ms Kilroy, seeing the pomp and ceremony that accompanied the first sitting was hard to stomach.

"We have a massive party happening at Parliament House that would cost hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our funding was 120 thousand dollars which will probably be the bill that will fit their champagne today," she said.

Ms Kilroy is adamant if the Townsville program is forced to close, it will actually cost taxpayers money.

"It costs about $70,000 a year to keep anyone in prison. So even if we kept two women out of prison, we've already saved them $20,000. And I had this conversation with them, with the director general, that their economics aren't weighing up because recidivist rates will go up," she said.

"That's going to mean more prisons, so we're going to have to pay billions for more prisons, for those women to go through courts again, for those children to be kept in care. All that cost is going to explode under this government."

Breaking the cycle

Criminal lawyer Andrew Boe is no stranger to the work of Sisters Inside.

"The people involved in there provide a huge bang for the buck here. 120,000 dollars over a year in supporting tens or twenties Aboriginal people in North Queensland is money extremely well spent," Mr Boe said.

Time and time again he says, its dedicated workers have helped break the cycle of recidivism.

"If it's intended to rebrand this government as being somehow not going into soft leftie areas, that would be really unfortunate. Because it’s wrong to assume that supporting these people only benefits them," he said.

"It supports the entire community. The quicker these people are reintegrated into the community ... the more likely that they are not likely to reoffend."

Renee insists she is living proof of that. If it wasn't for the early intervention of Sisters Inside, she believes she would still be in jail.

"I can't wait to see my kids grow up. I can't wait to settle down and maybe get married one day. I know I'm not going back that way though. And I'll never lose contact with Sisters Inside," she said.