Surmiche Vaughn and her husband, Scott Patterson, have welcomed 24 recently released inmates into their Oakland, California, home over the past three years as part of an experimental housing initiative.
The sprawling yellow house features an air hockey table in the living room, framed Christmas photos on the walls, five bedrooms, an airy kitchen, and a lemon tree in the backyard, according to The New York Times. Operating with usually five houseguests at a time, the property serves as a temporary living space for individuals cycling through a nonprofit program designed to keep former prisoners off the street.
The initiative is run by an Oakland nonprofit called Impact Justice, and it ranks as one of the few programs of its kind in the nation. Operating across the Bay Area and Los Angeles, the program takes in participants who are coming off prison sentences of 10 years or longer.
Most of the individuals have been convicted of murder, alongside others convicted of attempted murder, manslaughter, and robbery. Since the program started in 2018, some 130 hosts have taken in prisoners.
In return for hosting the men, Vaughn, who goes by Memi, and Patterson receive about $1,500 per tenant per month, with those payments covered by Impact Justice. Vaughn, 42, and Patterson, 47, acknowledge that their living arrangement has surprised people in their personal lives.
At first our friends were like, ‘You’re doing what? Girl, what?’
Surmiche Vaughn, Host
However, the two hosts remain committed to their unique roles within the program despite the initial shock from those closest to them.
