Ordered Steps Incorporated was originally established in 2003 in Columbia, Maryland.  We began serving only formerly incarcerated women.  Our 1-year program was being filled through the Anne Arundel County judicial system.  We started this mom-and-pop organization in 1100 square feet of our home basement.  After posing the question to many of the female inmates, "why do you keep coming back to jail."  The answer was one all too familiar, they had nowhere to go accept back to where they committed the crime or to living on the street.  The organization thrived for several years and like with many things, life began to try and move us in a different direction and we had to close those doors in 2007, but we are a resilient organization.   

In January 2020, we emerged.  The only difference is now we are in Long Beach, California and we have expanded our service population to homeless women and formerly incarcerated female Veterans.  However, if the story goes as it normally does these two populations can overlaps as recidivism and homeless can go together.

Ordered Steps Inc. offers classes, workshops and mentoring programs in our training center. These programs focus on developing a specific skill along with character development, leadership training, coaching programs and more. Our workshops and programs help reduce the recidivism rate for formerly incarcerate women and also to aid homeless women Veterans in finding and pursuing their life purpose.  While providing a safe environment to be nurtured and receive vital life skill principals. 

Currently, in the United States there is a major disconnect and lack of resources to assist our homeless and formerly incarcerated Veteran women, once individuals are released from institutions there is no place to go. There is next to nothing to provide a hopeful starting place for successful re-entry and homeless shelters are filling up quickly or they have unrealistic barriers that hinder intake.

Without adequate housing, training, and guidance individuals may not get to the reality of becoming a productive citizen. We can interrupt the vicious cycle of recidivism and homelessness. With instructions and support, it can happen.

According to statistics 81,000 women are released from state prisons each year along with 1.8 million releases from jail. Formerly incarcerated women, especially women of color have much higher rates of unemployment and homelessness, and are less likely to have a high school education, compared to formerly incarcerated men.

A like, per the National Coalition on Homelessness "homelessness among women veterans is expected to rise as increasing numbers of women in the military reintegrate into their communities as veterans. Women currently make up 8% of the total veteran population and 14.6% of the active duty military, increasing to an estimated 16% by 2035. The number of homeless women veterans has doubled from 1,380 in FY 2006 to 3,328 in FY 2010."  Women veterans face unique challenges that increase their susceptibility to homelessness.