Our Mission

The mission of Crossroads for Women is to provide comprehensive, integrated services to empower women emerging from incarceration to achieve safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives in the community, for themselves and their children.

Who We Are

Crossroads for Women is an Albuquerque-based nonprofit organization that provides housing and therapeutic services to empower New Mexico women emerging from incarceration.

Our History

Founded in 1997, Crossroads for Women has served New Mexico women and their children for over 25 years.

 

A Message from Our Founder

Elizabeth Simpson – Founder of Crossroads for Women

I was working on a class action case against the jail, trying to improve conditions for the inmates, particularly those with mental illness. Lawsuits have great power to effect change, but they have limitations too.

We were, in fact, making great changes in mental health services, but one couldn’t help but notice that the same people would show up in jail over and over. This seemed to be particularly true of women, some of whom had over a hundred bookings frequently for minor offenses such as littering and public nuisance. We were improving conditions for them in the jail, but they were being turned out to the streets with no chance of making a new life-no shelter, no job, no mental health care, no support.

It was obvious why they ended up back in jail and we couldn’t do anything about that through litigation. The courts, the jail, the DA, probation and parole were all willing to refer them to community services but the services didn’t exist. CONTINUE READING

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