It’s 6 p.m. on a Monday. When many people are stuck in rush hour traffic, Burnetta Williams sits in the front pews of Brookside Church. She hangs her cane on the pew in front of her and claps to music playing through the speakers. The lyrics on a projector read, “We fall down/But we get up.”
Williams and a dozen other women fill the pews at Brookside Community Development Corporation’s reentry service, where they work toward a stable life after incarceration, addiction or homelessness.
After being addicted to alcohol since she was 8 years old, Williams, now 70, knew it was time to start her recovery. She’s been in the program for 13 months.
“I was willing to go to any length to finish the program,” she said.
Working toward ‘a better way of life’
Over the past 11 years, many women have found Brookside’s reentry program by knocking on the door of the Near Eastside church. Some women are referred through partnership programs while others, like Williams, hear about it from someone they know.
When women come in, Tamiko Bass, reentry program coordinator, meets with them and walks them through the application process. Bass joined Brookside a year ago after quitting her corporate job. She has family members who have struggled with addiction.
During the application process, Bass learns about the women’s addiction and recovery history. Most importantly, she learns if the program is a good fit for them.
“It’s not for everyone,” Bass said. “This is not a halfway house. This is not a shelter. This is not a work release. This is a true sisterhood program about transitioning to a better way of life.”
Members support each other inside and outside of the program: They babysit each other’s kids, tutor each other when they are studying for their GED and lean on each other when times are tough.
Afterward, a woman who is in the program will give a tour of the transitional housing to the applicant. This way, the applicant can ask honest questions without a director present. Women accepted into the program live in a duplex, where rent is $400 a month. They sign a contract, agreeing to get a job within 60 days of moving in.
A therapist also talks to the applicant to learn about their mental health history and to get a better understanding of whether they would thrive while living in an all-woman household.
Once the applicant passes the evaluations and a drug test, Bass finds resources that best fit their needs.
“Not everyone is in addiction. Maybe they come from a domestic violence situation,” Bass said. “So we make sure we have not only that level of therapy here, but partners that may be able to help them in different ways.”
Brookside gave me ‘a second chance’
Reentry members are required to participate in weekly programming, including Monday reentry nights, along with Wednesday mental health days and Thursday 180 addiction recovery or Christian Women Identity Development.
During this time, Bass checks to see if new members need other resources such as health care, SNAP and insurance.
Once a month, Bass reviews goals with each member and adjusts them based on their needs.
The 12-month mark is the big assessment. Bass works with members to start finding housing or measures if the member needs more time at Brookside. Mental health struggles or outside situations can lead to members staying in Brookside for up to 24 months.
“I don’t want them to come back and need a place to go and be back in the program,” Bass said. “I want them to come back just to come and visit me, to tell me what’s going on in their life, to continue looking at me as a sister.”
This year, Bass prioritized mental health support for the program members. Every Wednesday, a therapist has one-on-one sessions with the women and leads an evening group session.
“They support me mentally and care for me,” member Tracy Kersey said. “I’ve spent 25 years trying to get sober. I’m glad Brookside gave me a second chance.”
Fostering an environment for inspiration
In March, Bass took members of the reentry program to Williamstown, Kentucky, to visit Noah’s Ark, a full-size recreation of the Biblical monument. She wanted to teach them that Noah’s journey is similar to the journey of recovery. In Noah’s story, he was mocked for choosing to build a boat before the flood. But by the end, he and his family were the only ones that survived.
“I wanted them to understand that there’s going to be times where nobody’s going to be with you,” Bass said. “And you’re not going to understand why you’re moving in the direction that you’re moving. And you’re going to lose people. And people are going to think you’re crazy.”
Bass hopes members recognize that there are people who are willing to sacrifice to make sure they are OK. She took a substantial pay cut from her previous job, so she could dedicate herself to this work.
From the music playing before reentry service to the mood around the free dinners afterwards, Bass prioritizes self-forgiveness and perseverance.
“You can’t just go and try to motivate or inspire a person,” Bass said. “You have to create an environment that is inspirational. When they see that, they start to think differently.”
In the future, Bass hopes to start a job development program to help women learn job skills. She plans to bring in experts from a variety of fields so the women can get hands-on experience and certifications to add to their résumés.
Using resources from Brookside, Williams was able to start working toward her GED and get closer to her goal of becoming part of a ministry.
“I want to serve more and I want to learn more,” Williams said. “The number one is learning more. That’s what I press daily.”
Interested in Brookside?
To apply to the program, contact Tamiko Bass via email at tamiko@brooksidecdc.org or call 317-418-9755.
For more information, visit brooksidecdc.org.
A correction was made on Sept. 10, 2025: A previous version of the story’s subhead misstated which entity runs the reentry program.
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Claire Nguyen is a Dow Jones Fund digital media intern at Mirror Indy. Contact Mirror Indy at hello@mirrorindy.org.
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