Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars of Watertown receive $20,000 grant

WATERTOWN, S.D.(KXLG)- Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars of Watertown recently received a $20,000 grant from the South Dakota Fund of the South Dakota Community Foundation.

Doug Sharp of Watertown is the chairman of The S.D. Community Foundation Board and presented the check to the organization.

Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars were formed in Watertown in 2018 to help incarcerated individuals to break the chain of addiction with the help of volunteers. The group provides transitional housing for those leaving the criminal justice system.

Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars Executive Director Stacy Hendricks told KXLG news the grant would enable the organization to provide rent-free housing to clients for an entire year.

Clients typically stay in BSBB properties for a few months before securing their own housing.

Hendricks said her organization had had an office in downtown Watertown at 9 West Kemp, thanks to funding from the Watertown Community Foundation. Hendricks and everyone else involved in Brothers and Sisters Behind Bars work on a volunteer basis.

The South Dakota Fund is an unrestricted fund that makes grants to nonprofit and charitable organizations across the state to support culture, economic development, education, financial literacy, health, and human services. Grants are awarded throughout the year.

The organization welcomes all donations.