Freedom Life: Our History
Where It Began
Freedom Life Ministries was founded in Marion, North Carolina, in 2012 with a vision to provide meaningful, long-term support to people impacted by incarceration.
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The organization grew from the prison ministry work of founder and Executive Director Danny Hampton, whose experience serving people in difficult circumstances spans decades. After more than 25 years in pastoral ministry, Hampton felt called to shift his focus from traditional church ministry to working directly with individuals who were incarcerated and preparing to return to their communities.
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In 2010, Hampton joined McDowell Mission Ministries, where his work included serving as chaplain at the Marion Minimum Security Unit and assistant chaplain at Marion Correctional Institution. He also served as a case manager at the John Thompson Center for Men, a homeless shelter operated by McDowell Mission Ministries.
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Through these roles, Hampton saw firsthand that successful reentry requires much more than support at the moment of release.
Recognizing the Need
Working with people before and after incarceration revealed significant barriers to successful reentry. People returning home often faced challenges involving housing, employment, transportation, identification, education, healthcare, family relationships, substance use recovery, and other basic needs.
Hampton recognized the need for an organization that could begin building relationships with individuals while they were still incarcerated and continue walking alongside them as they returned home.
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The vision was also larger than the work of any single organization. From the beginning, Freedom Life sought to build a network of churches, government agencies, service providers, employers, community organizations, volunteers, and other partners capable of surrounding justice-involved individuals with coordinated support.
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With the unanimous support of the McDowell Mission Ministries staff and Board of Directors, along with the leadership and commitment of a newly formed Board, Freedom Life Ministries officially launched in November 2012.
From Prison Ministry to Comprehensive Reentry
What began as a local prison ministry has grown into a comprehensive reentry organization serving individuals at multiple points in their journey through the justice system.
Today, Freedom Life's approach is built around Three Entry Points of Care: Community, Jail, and Prison. This model allows the organization to begin working with individuals wherever they are and provide continuity of support as their circumstances change.
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Freedom Life works with individuals to identify barriers, develop individualized reentry plans, connect with resources, and build the stability necessary for long-term success. Services address practical needs such as housing, employment, transportation, identification, education, healthcare, behavioral health services, and other supports while also providing opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.
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Over the years, Freedom Life has expanded beyond McDowell County into Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties, developing local partnerships and strengthening the reentry infrastructure available throughout the region.
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Freedom Life also serves as the coordinating organization for the District 85 Regional Reentry Council, building upon years of local reentry council development and bringing partners together across county lines to improve services, reduce duplication, identify gaps, and strengthen opportunities for people returning home from incarceration.
Building Pathways to Stability
As Freedom Life grew, so did its understanding of what successful reentry requires.
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The organization expanded its work to include intensive case management, transportation assistance, employment and education connections, assistance obtaining identification and essential documents, basic-needs support, mentoring, programming within correctional facilities, and transitional housing.
Housing has become an especially important part of Freedom Life's long-term strategy. By developing transitional housing and supportive services, Freedom Life is working to address one of the most significant barriers facing individuals returning from incarceration: having a safe and stable place from which to rebuild their lives.
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These services are strengthened through partnerships with correctional institutions, local and state government, community organizations, employers, educational institutions, healthcare providers, churches, volunteers, and other stakeholders who share an interest in stronger families, safer communities, and successful reentry.
Becoming
Freedom Life
In 2017, Freedom Life Ministries began operating publicly under the name Freedom Life. The shorter name was already commonly used by clients, partners, and community members and helped distinguish the organization from another organization with a similar name.
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While the name evolved, the purpose did not.
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Freedom Life remains a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization grounded in the belief that a person's past does not have to determine their future.
Moving Forward
More than a decade after its founding, Freedom Life has grown from a local ministry into a regional organization providing coordinated reentry services before incarceration ends and long after an individual returns home.
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Danny Hampton continues to serve as Executive Director and Chaplain, but the work of Freedom Life today extends across a growing network of staff members, volunteers, community partners, correctional institutions, government agencies, service providers, and supporters.
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The organization continues to evolve as the needs of the people and communities it serves change. What has remained constant since 2012 is the commitment at the heart of the organization: to help justice-involved individuals overcome barriers, build stability, reconnect with their families and communities, and experience positive and lasting life change through the liberating power of Christ's love.
