For those who’ve been removed from society due to harmful decisions, re-entry is daunting. Simmons Bank makes that transition easier for residents of the Men’s Hope Center by teaching financial literacy voluntarily.

Known as the White House Men’s Center, the facility is in nearby Cross Plains. It’s a Christian-based residential treatment center for adult men recovering from alcohol and substance abuse. Their services include individual and group counseling, 12 Step meetings, and family support.

The residential treatment program has three phases, all of them based on Christian healing:

- Phase one lasts for six weeks and includes 12 Step programming, individual and group counseling, spiritual development, Bible studies, daily reflection, and chores.

- Phase two lasts for 38 weeks and includes phase one activities, plus training for real world needs, like life skills and career coaching.

- The last phase lasts for eight weeks and includes all the above, with some personal phone privileges, vehicle privileges, and financial planning. The goal is for each resident to establish a good foundation for independent living by graduation.

“My goal with each class is to give them the confidence to know that from a financial standpoint they can have a bank account,” says Kate Key, branch manager for Simmons Bank in White House.

Residents typically fear being able to enter the wild of normal life. Fixing their credit, holding a job, and building a savings account seem like far off dreams. This is the mindset Kate and her team at Simmons are working to eliminate.

“We want them to understand they are not second rate. They’ve made a choice to live a better life and we’re here to help them on that path,” Kate explains.

That’s why every time a Men’s Hope Center resident steps into Simmons Bank’s cream-colored lobby, they are treated like family.

“We all want second chances,” says Kate. “We’ve all done things we wish we could take back. If they are willing to put in the work, we should be willing to give them the support and respect that deserves.”

Support comes in the form of hour-long classes — one focused on basics like checking and savings accounts, and another focused on more advanced topics like repairing credit and what affects it. Each student is also given a SMART goal sheet that Kate guides them in completing. The focus isn’t only on finances, but also on life goals.

“They face so many challenges coming out of the program,” says Kate, “that if they can mentally work through the SMART goal process to keep them on track for all the things they want to accomplish while they are in the nice, safe bubble at the Men’s Hope Center, then it helps them in more ways than one.”

Steven Wienk, director of the Men’s Hope Center, says what he’s witnessed through Kate’s teaching is indeed reformative.

“Working through it, these men are dusting all the cobwebs in their brain and realizing they can be a normal member of society again,” Steven says.

The wild isn’t so wild when you meet it with friends.