Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women

The people, mission and context

The mission of the Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women (IPMW) is to equip women with the tools and support they need to heal, grow and thrive, both in prison and in the communities to which they return.

The organization supports current and previously incarcerated women through its services such as chaplaincy, re-entry services, transition education, housing.

The problem

Transportation for IPMW residents was expensive and time consuming. IPMW had outgrown their office space and needed a way to streamline processes with the residents. Most importantly, IPMW needed new housing for residents that provided easy transportation and fostered a sense of community.

The solution

Personas included a previously incarcerated resident and an IPMW staff member. The team worked to understand the needs of the personas, conduct research to craft their problem statement, and understand their current experiences.

After researching resources in The Triangle area and the culture of co-housing, the team offered a solution for a co-housing location, the architecture for the homes and a preview of how the co-housing culture would address the pain points of the residents.

With the use of Google for Non-profits, suggested in the students’ playback, the IPMW was excited to announce that they could start to implement changes in their office immediately.