Kacie Starr Long and Alfred T. Long, Sr., of Jacob’s Ladder Ministries
Founded in 2008, Jacob’s Ladder Ministries is a faith-based organization that works to walk alongside men, women, and families who have been impacted by incarceration and ensure that people know their lives can be transformed in spite of their circumstance. Jacob’s Ladder Ministries provides various services such as Christian 12-step classes, workshops inside Missouri prisons, mentoring, support groups, and sewing programs. We had the privilege of speaking with Kacie Long, one of the primary leaders of the organization. For her, one of the biggest challenges she has encountered is that people are not always ready to receive help. Within their target population, many people focus primarily on getting their basic needs met such as food, housing, and transportation; sometimes emotional wellbeing and spiritual health is not a priority. She mentioned that understanding this before entering this work would have “made it easier to remain encouraged, determined, and hopeful with their programming.”
Through their programs and with the funding they received through FLOURISH, they were able to educate the community about available resources, mental health help for moms and dads, anger management classes and tools, and coping mechanisms to help ensure they are healthy. With one program, they were able to meet moms directly in the community and provide a welcoming space free of judgement along with food, emotional support, and new skills. The FLOURISH grant helped the organization to be more intentional. Kacie shared, “women that have been impacted by the criminal justice system have sometimes been largely overlooked by society due to stigma, prejudice, bias and we were able to directly engage this community group and provide them with much needed services.” She finds it rewarding that Jacob’s Ladder Ministries has been supported by a funding agency that recognizes the value and importance of Black women and their heath.
Kacie wishes people had a broader perspective to understand that individuals who have been incarcerated are reentering back into the community and have lives, families, and dreams. It is her hope that the work they’re doing through Jacob’s Ladder Ministries with the support of FLOURISH and other non-profits is reducing the stigma and supporting our community members post-incarceration. One of the things their organization is focused on is capacity building: recruiting new board members, raising awareness about what they do, and seeking partners whose missions align to serve those impacted by incarceration.
To connect with their work or contribute, visit www.jacobslm.com
Read more about Jacob’s Ladder Ministries FLOURISH grant-funded projects, Sew Hope Support Groups, and It’s Time for Shalom.