broken chains ministry

What broken chains ministry does

Broken Chains Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004 by Rev. Dennis Shawhan in Summit County, Ohio, that delivers faith-centered Restorative Justice programming across three integrated verticals: Urbean Cafe, Lydia's Home, and Outreach & Mentoring. Urbean Cafe, launched in 2011 at the Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center, is a workforce development cafe employing returning citizens and serving up to 600 walk-in customers daily; Lydia's Home, opened in 2017, is a six-bed Ohio Recovery Housing-certified Level II recovery residence for women in the City of Green, combining a proprietary 60-day Life Formation Study Series curriculum with cognitive behavioral therapy (Thinking for Change) and faith-centered programming; Outreach & Mentoring delivers chaplaincy, Bible study, and identity-restoration services inside seven regional correctional facilities including Oriana House, CBCF for Women, and SHARP.

The organization reports sub-2% recidivism among Urbean Cafe employees against a national average of 43% within one year, claims $10M+ in cumulative economic impact to Summit County and $6M+ in direct taxpayer cost savings since 2011, and serves more than 100 recovering citizens per week following a 2024 expansion to five correctional facilities triggered by the non-renewal of its long-standing Summit County Jail partnership. Operationally, Broken Chains Ministry is accredited with the GuideStar Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating, and NARR-aligned standards via Ohio Recovery Housing certification.

Revenue is generated through four streams — individual donations, six-tier corporate sponsorships, foundation grants (40+ funders including Christ Foundation, GAR Foundation, Akron Community Foundation), and Urbean Cafe retail receipts — with 92% of funds reported as flowing directly into Restorative Justice programming. The customer base is a dual-sided mission constituency: program participants (returning citizens and women in substance abuse recovery) on the services side, and individual donors, corporate sponsors, and faith and civic partners on the funding side; all participant-facing services are provided free of charge.

Name

broken chains ministry

Legal name

Broken Chains Ministry

Website

https://brokenchainsministry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Broken Chains Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Summit County, Ohio, delivering faith-centered restorative justice programs — Urbean Cafe workforce development, Lydia's Home women's recovery residence, and correctional facility outreach and mentoring — to returning citizens and women recovering from substance abuse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Restorative Justice Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG)

Keywords

• Restorative justice programs
• Faith-based recovery services
• Workforce development training
• Addiction recovery housing
• Prison ministry mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting Restorative Justice programs. Options for one-time, monthly, and annual gifts with fee-free payment processing.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors at multiple tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Table) providing brand visibility and community recognition in exchange for financial support. More than 92% of sponsorship funds directly support programs.
3. Foundation and Grant Funding: Grants from foundations including Christ Foundation, GAR Foundation, Akron Community Foundation, and others to support program operations and expansion.
4. Urbean Cafe Revenue: Retail cafe operations at Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center generating revenue from food and beverage sales while providing workforce development.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Broken Chains Ministry delivers faith-centered Restorative Justice programs that reduce recidivism and support reentry for formerly incarcerated citizens. Core offerings include Urbean Cafe (a workforce development café at the Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center), Lydia's Home (a six-bed certified recovery residence for women), and Outreach & Mentoring (in-facility programs at seven regional correctional facilities). All client-facing services are provided free of charge and funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Broken Chains Ministry operates three interconnected faith-centered Restorative Justice programs: Urbean Cafe (workforce development café providing employment for returning citizens), Lydia's Home (a six-bed residential recovery home for women), and Outreach & Mentoring (in-reach services at correctional facilities). These programs work together to reduce recidivism, restore individuals to the community, and support the local economy through a collaborative approach involving mentoring, education, workforce readiness, and identity restoration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Urbean Cafe: Award-winning workforce development program providing meaningful work for returning citizens at the Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center in Akron. Has contributed more than $10 million in economic impact to Summit County since 2011.
• Lydia's Home

Products and services

• Urbean Cafe Workforce development café program located at the Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center in Akron that provides meaningful employment and on-the-job training in customer service, time management, budgeting, and team building for returning citizens, while serving coffee and homestyle food to up to 600 daily customers. Free to program participants; generates revenue through food and beverage sales.
• Lydia's Home Six-bed certified Level II Recovery Residence for women in the City of Green, Ohio, providing a 60-day curriculum-based Life Formation Study Series combined with formalized substance abuse recovery, Thinking for Change cognitive behavioral therapy, and faith-centered programming. Free to residents.
• Outreach & Mentoring Faith-centered in-reach programs at seven regional correctional facilities (including Oriana House, CBCF for Women, Residential Correctional Center, and SHARP for Men) providing mentoring, worship services, Bible study, the Heart of Addiction Bible Study Curriculum, and identity restoration support to hundreds of men and women weekly. Free to participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 2% recidivism rate for Urbean Cafe employees compared to 43% national average within one year
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ohio Recovery Housing (ORH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState certification body that certified Lydia's Home as a Level III Recovery Residence, ensuring adherence to high code of ethics and quality standards meeting National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) requirements.
• National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational standards organization that Lydia's Home meets, providing certification for recovery residence quality and ethics standards.
• City of Green Drug Task ForcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership with City of Green including mayor's office and opioid task force. Helps address substance abuse and human trafficking issues in the community through joint events and awareness campaigns.
• Oriana HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of seven correctional facilities served through Outreach & Mentoring programs. Provides access to returning citizens for mentoring, worship services, and Bible study.
• Clifford Skeen Community-Based Correctional Facility (CBCF) for WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's correctional facility served through Outreach & Mentoring programs. Board members teach Heart of Addiction Bible Study Curriculum monthly.
• Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransit hub location hosting Urbean Cafe since 2011, providing central location for workforce development program and daily foot traffic of up to 600 customers.
• University of Akron School of LawminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerParticipates in Akron Law Cares Day of Service, sending law students to volunteer at Lydia's Home for maintenance and landscaping projects. 6-year partnership with ongoing collaboration.
• Maranatha Bible ChurchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey faith partner with 20+ years of collaboration. Pastor Bruce and Pastor Eric featured Tamela Shawhan on Beyond the Pew podcast. Award of recognition given for ongoing support.
• Summit County Sheriff's Office / Summit County JailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership dating back to 1995 for jail ministry and chaplain services. Partnership not renewed in December 2023, leading to expansion of services to five other regional correctional facilities.
• Kenneth Anderson (Pro Gram Engineering Corp.)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard President serving on Board of Directors, contributing business expertise and leadership to ministry governance.
• William (Bill) Garnier (Renewable Lubricants)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard Vice President and CEO of Renewable Lubricants, Inc. and Garmier Farms, contributing business expertise and resources to ministry.
• Wayside FurnituremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual matching gift program where donations up to $100 are matched during Thanksgiving weekend. Multiple years of partnership supporting fundraising campaigns.
• Victory InnovationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for the Making the Difference Benefit Banquet, one of eight new sponsors joining in 2021.
• Elisa Raicevich (U.S. Attorney's Office)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard Chair (retired), paralegal specialist at U.S. Attorney's Office and U.S. Department of Justice, bringing legal and government expertise to board.
• Christine Cox (ComDoc)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard Member, IT and data specialist at Xerox Company (ComDoc), with 25+ years of prison ministry experience. Recipient of Everyday Hero Award.
• Portage Path Behavioral HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health service provider partner offering support services for Lydia's Home residents as part of comprehensive recovery program.
• Ohio Department of Job & Family ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing workforce development support and resources through Ohio Works Job Center for employment placement assistance.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Prison Fellowship: The largest U.S. faith-based prison and restorative justice ministry, operating Angel Tree, reentry, and in-prison programming. Directly comparable to Broken Chains Ministry's faith-centered restorative justice approach and justice-involved service model.
• Kairos Prison Ministry International: Faith-based nonprofit that runs in-prison retreats and reentry programs across U.S. correctional facilities. Directly comparable as a Christian-centered prison ministry with mentoring and post-release support.
• InnerChange Freedom Initiative: Faith-based residential prisoner reentry program operated under Prison Fellowship, providing in-prison programming and post-release reintegration. Closely aligned with Broken Chains Ministry's faith-centered reentry model.
• Teen Challenge: Faith-based addiction recovery and reentry organization with residential programs across the U.S. Directly comparable to Lydia's Home's faith-centered residential recovery model for substance abuse.
• The Potter's House: Faith-based recovery and reentry program offering residential substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, and workforce development. Highly comparable to Broken Chains Ministry's combined recovery and workforce model.
• Celebrate Recovery: Faith-based12-step recovery program operating in churches nationwide, addressing substance abuse and life struggles. Comparable as a faith-centered recovery model that pairs with peer support and mentoring.

Broad incumbents

• Volunteers of America: Large national nonprofit operating reentry, recovery housing, and workforce programs across many states. Comparable as a broader-incumbent social services organization with overlapping reentry and recovery programs.
• The Salvation Army: Faith-based national nonprofit providing reentry, addiction recovery, workforce, and community services. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering overlapping programs at much greater scale.
• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit operating workforce development, reentry, and social enterprise retail operations. Comparable as a workforce development platform serving populations with barriers to employment.

Emerging players

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National nonprofit providing workforce development and reentry employment services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Comparable as a focused workforce reentry player, though secular in approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/broken-chains-prison-ministry

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about broken chains ministry