FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's a Franklin home that at first glance looks unassuming, but soon, it will serve a unique purpose.
“We help them to get a job, we feed them, we clothe them, we transport them. They come homeless to our house and we take care of all their needs,” said Founder and Executive Director of Oak Cottage for Women, Judy Felts.
The home will be the second Oak Cottage home - a transitional house for women leaving incarceration.
“We have applications coming in daily. We’ve got between 26 and 30 applications right now for women wanting to come to our house,” said Felts.
To make the homes possible, Oak Cottage partnered with the Community Housing Partnership of Williamson County.
“What do you do if you’re coming out of a correctional facility? You’ve done something to change your life, and you need to be folded back into society and have an opportunity to start over and make a fresh start,” said President and CEO, Wayne Weaver.
One of those women is Stephanie Spencer. She currently lives in the first completed Oak Cottage home.
“I went to jail due to all of my drug addictions and stuff that happened as I was growing up. I was part of a dysfunctional family. So whenever I got to make parole I started looking for a place and the Oak Cottage kind of just jumped out at me,” she said.
Renovations begin on the home Saturday, marking a new beginning just like the women who will live in it.
“I probably would be back on the streets again if I didn’t have that strong foundation that the Oak Cottage gave me. I would be back on the streets and probably in jail. So I’m very thankful to them,” said Spencer.
If you would like to help, Oak Cottage and the Community Housing Partnership are in need of donations for home supplies like air conditioning units and furniture. You can find information to donate here and here.
