Tools For a Fresh Start

Inmates learning, growing through Lacasa’s financial basics program

“I think there are assumptions made about people who are incarcerated; that they are violent, or bad, or disrespectful people—and that’s not usually the case at all,” says Ashley Bowen, the Director of Client Empowerment for Lacasa Inc. “Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, and a lot of the people who end up in jail are not that much different from anyone else. In a lot of cases these are just people who had a bad moment, or made a bad decision, and got caught making a mistake.

I started out as a volunteer financial coach with Lacasa in 2020. Earlier in my life I spent two years in Peru as a teacher with the Peace Corps, and I think it’s in my DNA to want to be in helping roles. When a position opened up with Lacasa to direct a learning program for inmates, I knew it would be an opportunity to do a lot of good work.

It’s not what people think. No one is throwing paper airplanes around the room. The truth is that students in our Master It Series for Inmates program are on their best behavior. They understand the value of having access to this financial knowledge, and they don’t want to lose it. They show great respect. I remember, at one of my first classes at the jail, one man was absent-minded and used a swear word and his buddy next to him thumped him on the arm and said, ‘Hey, watch your language, man. That’s a lady, and she’s here to teach us.’

Keenly pursuing the basics

We believe that everyone has a right to a basic financial education, and we recognize that a lot of people don’t have that access.

Most of the inmates in our Master It classes at the jail are trying their hardest to correct things so they can have a fresh start and have a normal life someday. Being incarcerated can be a wakeup call, and many want to use their time to try and right their ship. They understand they’re at rock bottom, and they know how important this financial knowledge is to getting that fresh start. No one is forced to come to these classes at the jail; these are just men and women who are pushing really hard to reclaim and redefine their lives.

Our Master It classes are available to everyone in the community, not just at the jail, and provide HUD-certified financial education in four different courses. The classes are Master Your Credit, Master Your Money, Master Your Debt, and Master Homeownership. These are not 500 level courses, more like 100 and 200 level, but they’re so important in helping people develop a roadmap for financial stability and success.

The inmates at the jail are so grateful that we bring this program to them. They know it’s a big part of what they need to rebuild their lives. Those who complete the coursework and get certified in our classes can have access to banking and credit-building opportunities; they might qualify for free checking and savings accounts and they may even be able to get a credit builder loan. We had one gentleman at the jail, who went through our first round back in November 2021, who was able to get a credit builder loan. We heard back from him after he was released, and in six months he was able to raise his credit score by 100 points.

That can be a real life-changer. Just by building up your credit little-by-little it can give someone access to some of the mainstream financial products and services that many others might take for granted.

Something like that can give someone hope.

It’s been eye-opening, working with the inmates. The determination some of them have to improve themselves is something you don’t see all the time. They truly want to have a chance to learn and apply these financial skills after they’re released, and—as such—they are some of the keenest students I’ve ever been around. They’re totally engaged and thinking deeply and asking so many questions. I’ve heard some of the most intelligent, thoughtful financial questions I’ve ever heard while working inside the Elkhart County Jail.

Master It awarded 2023 Program of the Year

Earlier this year, in February, Lacasa’s Master It Series received the Program of the Year award at the 2023 Prosperity Indiana Summit in downtown Indianapolis. It’s a big award in the supportive services area, and we were there alongside many worthy and well-known programs; there were Habitat for Humanity and United Way programs and even a Special Olympics program with representatives in attendance.

I was there with two of my colleagues, and—during the award presentation—as soon as I heard the announcer say the words ‘working with inmates’ I knew we’d won. I think I probably turned beet red and stark white all at the same time. I was surprised at first because our inmate program is still fairly new, but that turned quickly into joy and gratitude. We earned this award. Our work allows us to connect with and help an entire segment of people who otherwise would be out of everyone’s reach, and in 2022 we collaborated with more than 25 partners—volunteer bankers, loan originators, realtors, and other housing and financial industry professionals—to benefit almost 200 program participants.

Our coordinators, Kris Klosinski—who’s since retired—and Sharon Lowry worked so hard to make this all possible. Our program has educated over 300 inmates since it began, and without the dedicated work of Kris and Sharon none of it would have happened. We couldn’t have done any of this without them.

Glad to be helping Hoosiers

I’m so grateful for all those who donate, and for our partner agencies, and for the funding we receive from HUD and NeighborWorks America. I think Lacasa’s leadership has demonstrated a commitment to being flexible, and able to adapt through so much change, to meet the many needs of the people in our community. As we speak, Lacasa has 360 affordable housing units between Elkhart and Goshen, so we’re always working to help meet housing needs, and with programs like the Master It Series classes we’re always working to find new ways to improve the quality of life for all Hoosiers, whether they’re working hard in our community or working hard to get back on their feet with a fresh start.

I grew up in Elkhart County and graduated from Concord High School in 2003, and then I went to Indiana University South Bend. When I was 25 I moved to Los Angeles to work as a gemologist for a renowned jeweler and I was out there for several years. I’ve had other travels and great experiences, but ultimately I came back to Indiana because I loved and missed its people.

Working now to help uplift the lives of Hoosiers, and having the satisfaction of watching students go from Point A to Point B, is a great joy for me. It’s rewarding beyond words to see so many men and women use the Master It Series program as an opportunity to commit to a new life, a better life, based on continued learning and self-improvement.”