NEW BERN, N.C. — Tried by Fire, a nonprofit in New Bern, is working to set up a transitional house for women coming out of prison. The project is called My Sister's House, and it's the first all-women house of its kind in the surrounding seven counties of eastern North Carolina.

What You Need To Know

  • Tried by Fire is setting up a post-incarcerated, all-women's transitional house in New Bern

  • The building was donated in 2019 but is still undergoing a lot of construction

  • They are hosting a virtual fundraising event to raise money for the project

 

“There are a lot of transitional houses for drug addiction and domestic violence and other kinds of situations that women are enduring, but there really isn't anything that addresses women coming out of prison. And they have unique problems that we're trying to address,” said Deedra Durocher, the volunteer coordinator for the project.

The building was donated to Tried by Fire in 2019. Although it still needs a lot of remodeling, the team says it has tremendous potential, just like the ladies who will be moving in. Executive Director Bonita Simmons says lots of volunteers have come out to help with the construction.

“We're just holding hands to get it done for the sake of these wonderful women to let them know that they're gonna make it. They just have to believe in themselves like we're believing in them,” Simmons says.

When completed, the house will hold up to six women for 30 to 90 days while the staff works on their personal transition plans. Simmons holds the ambitious goal of finishing most of the construction by Mothers Day, but it will definitely be up and running in 2021.

Tried by Fire is hosting a fundraiser through April 30 called One Thousand One Hundreds to raise money for the building.