Bringing “Hope” to inmates
by Trinity Gruenberg
Inmates at the Wadena County Jail are receiving assistance with mental health, chemical dependency, housing options and even getting driver’s licenses reinstated. Most of the credit goes to a determined individual whose name is also what the inmates feel, “Hope”.
An adult mental health initiative that is part of Region Five, including Crow Wing, Cass, Wadena, Todd and Morrison counties, began looking into re-entry programs about two years ago. The initiative decided to move forward with the program and all five counties now have a re-entry person in their jails.
Hope Torma of Menahga joined Wadena County Human Services in July, working as a crime victim advocate at Someplace Safe. When the position opened for a re-entry social worker at the jail, she applied and began her new role in September.
“I always had dreams of wanting to work inside the prison system,” said Torma.
After starting a family, she decided that she didn’t want to live in a big city, and returned to the area a few years back.
When this position opened up she was very interested. . . .