Company history
The founder, Pamela Smith realized that there was a need to help incarcerated women. Many incarcerated women did not have the basic need such as housing, clothing, food, health care, job training and job palcement. Particularly when the women are relased they often don't know were to turn for assistance and sometimes are forces back into the same environment they left before coming to prison which often leads them to reoffend and return to jail.
Drug addiction contributes to many women being incarcerated. When they are released they do not have the education and tools to manage the many barriers they will face. They do not have a place to live, no skills or work experience, little or nor job search experience, no identification or driver's license, therefore they can't get a job, and no transportation to gain access to any resources available that can provide assistance in these areas. For many years, the Founder and President, Pamela Smith worked tireless to assist as many women as possible financing the services herself. She would take the women to get identification and birth certificates, show them how to use public transportation and buy buss passes, provide clothing donated from her friends and family.
The Pamela Smith Foundation, Inc. seeks to provide the much needed services to incarcerated women while still in custody to prepared re-entry plans and provide continued follow-up assistance after release to minimize the likelihood the women will reoffend and return to prison.