Working with inmates is a natural fit for Lipscomb alum Scott Pieper. After graduating in 2012 with a degree in social work, Pieper is now working to help former inmates integrate back into society.
“Dismas is family.” This is the slogan residents, staff members and volunteers live by at the Dismas House.
The Dismas House is a transitional housing program on a mission to facilitate the reconciliation of former prisoners to society through supportive communities. That community consists of students and former prisoners living together in a family setting.
Pieper interned with the Dismas House while attending Lipscomb University. After graduation, Pieper became the Executive Director.
“Former inmates were one of the populations that I had identified with wanting to work with,” Pieper said. “It was a natural fit.”
“My most important job is keeping everything we do focused on accomplishing the mission – organizing volunteer opportunities, arranging in-house programming and developing partnerships or fundraising efforts,” he said. “Everything is in the spirit of working towards the Dismas House mission.”
The name “Dismas” comes from the “repentant” or “good thief” who was crucified with Christ on Calvary in the Christian tradition.
The late Father Jack Hickey and a group of Vanderbilt students founded the Dismas House in 1974. Student residents are still a big part of the Dismas community today.
“Father Hickey recognized the similarities between college students and individuals exiting incarceration as sort of being in the same transitional period of entering into society,” Pieper said. “Student residents present a constant presence of the supportive community in our mission.”
“Student residents are living in the house – they are here to work with the former inmate residents. It could be providing rides to the grocery store or driving them to job interviews.” Pieper added.
Pieper says that anyone could find themselves in the same situations as the Dismas House residents.
“That could have easily been me if certain situations played out differently in my life,” Pieper said. “If we found ourselves in those situations – we may have made some of the same choices and ended up going though the same stuff our residents go through.”
Former inmate residents typically live at the House for four months and are expected to pursue and attain a viable source of income, participate in programming, help with house chores, and pay program fees. The goal is for them to secure independent housing, stable income, and hope for the future.
For more information about the Dismas House or for volunteer opportunities visit, www.dismasnashville.org.