Thrive for Life comes to Milwaukee

By Alexandria Staubach

An old convent is getting new life as a “House of Studies” for men who were formerly incarcerated and are now working to obtain their college degrees.

Thrive for Life has arrived in Milwaukee, hoping to achieve the same success they’ve experienced with two similar homes in New York City.

The first of its kind, according to Thrive for Life, Ignacio House opened in New York City in 2019 with a novel concept: a transitional supportive learning community, exclusively for the formerly incarcerated.

 A dorm, with a mission.

Founded by Father Zachariah Presutti, a Jesuit priest and former chaplain at Rikers Island, Ignacio House currently serves 15 formerly incarcerated men who have scholarships to one of eight partnering universities, which include Columbia and NYU.

The second house of studies, Abraham House, began in 1993 as an alternative-to-incarceration program under a different provider and since 2023 has been merging into Thrive. As at Ignacio House, residents receive comprehensive continuity of care, including therapeutic and wellness resources, personal and spiritual mentorship, and individualized learning plans, while adhering to stricter house rules.

According to Thrive’s website, the two houses have served more than 3,000 formerly or currently incarcerated individuals, and 100% of their resident scholars have avoided recidivism and are on track to complete a trade school program or university degree.

WJI recently visited Thrive’s Milwaukee House of Studies and spoke with Christa Pipitone, soon to be the senior regional coordinator for the Milwaukee Thrive for Life program.

Located in Halyard Park, the house can accommodate a house manager and up to 11 scholars, whose stays will typically range from six months to two years.

To get a room, individuals who were formerly incarcerated will need to apply and be accepted. Once they’re in, Thrive for Life provides a community of people committed to its men’s success, said Pipitone.

“We are continuity of care,” said Pipitone.

Thrive for Life's Christa Pipitone in the Milwaukee House of Studies. All photographs by Alexandria Staubach.

The kitchen in Thrive's Milwaukee House of Studies.

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​Like the houses in New York, in addition to providing a roof over residents’ heads, the program will help residents with every aspect of making themselves “whole” and “healed,” Pipitone said.

​From health services to employment, the team at Thrive is “invested in the whole person, in demonstrating to these men that people care,” Pipitone said. “We’re likely giving many of these of guys a first chance,” she said. “We want to be that for them.”

Thrive’s program is faith-based but nondenominational. “It’s important to us that the scholars have some higher power,” said Pipitone, but applicants need not be Catholic or even Christian. She highlighted that the houses in New York have welcomed both Muslin and Jewish scholars and that there are no rules around faith if applicants are grounded in a “higher power.”

Community service in the Halyard Park neighborhood will also be part of the experience. Scholars will be expected to engage in service projects that serve the community they’re in. Abraham House in New York, runs a local food pantry, for example.

The scholars will also be expected to participate in creating community among themselves. A sit-down Sunday dinner will be expected, a Catholic mass will be held in the house’s chapel (though attendance is not mandatory), and household chores will be allocated. It is communal living with purpose, said Pipitone.

Residents will be expected to maintain employment. They will sign a “covenant agreement,” the terms of which include affordable rent, charged on a sliding scale based on take home pay. Like other aspects of the program, rent is not about the money. It’s about “giving the men a track record,” a rental history they can take with them to a new landlord, Pipitone said.

Pipitone hopes it won’t feel like “all work and no play.” While alcohol and drugs are off limits, “the scholars will set the tone.” She hopes it will be a place where the men want to be—where they will enjoy Bucks and Packers games and study or play games in the common areas, investing in themselves and their shared experiences as students.

Pipitone told WJI that Thrive hopes to strike a balance between structure and independence.

The Milwaukee House is nearly complete. Pipitone anticipates it will host its first cohort beginning in October.

She is actively searching for a house manager, who will hopefully live on site and help usher in the first class, and a social worker. Thrive has a strong preference for formerly incarcerated individuals to fill these roles.

She encourages those interested to reach out to her directly at [email protected].

A shared bedroom being prepared in Thrive's Milwaukee House of Studies.

The chapel in Thrive's Milwaukee House of Studies.