Our Mission
The Family is First Project will assist the Department of Corrections by hosting by-weekly transformational relationship sessions with inmates and their families. More »
We Offer Solutions
The Family First Project will host by-weekly transformational relational sessions with inmates and their family members which will increase rehabilitation, communication, and relational skills. More »
Help Us Help Others
Help us strengthen family relationships and reach more prisons. Each time you give, you will be helping support the great work of restoring families and changing lives. More »
Real People - Real Solutions
The Family is First Project (TFFP) was founded in 2005 By Frank and Stacie Johnson in response to a growing need for family support services and fueled by the passion to see lives changed within prison walls, while keeping families together. More »
More Than Support
In addition to being a support system for the aforementioned population, this organizations seeks to encourage healthy community interactions and build collaborative relationships with organizations of like vision. More »
Welcome
Everyone Is Welcome
The Family is First Project will assist the Department of Corrections by hosting by-weekly transformational relationship sessions with inmates and their families.
The Family First Project will host by-weekly transformational relational sessions with inmates and their family members which will increase rehabilitation, communication, and relational skills. The Family is First project will facilitate round table session once a month to assess the emotional financial and supportive needs of the families, those individuals who desire to have a balanced, healthy, and a less stressful relationship with a person who is incarcerated. The Family is First Project believes that healthy relationships promotes healthy lives.
Who We Are
One Family, Two Locations
The Family is First Project was founded in 2005 and is currently in operation inside Warren Correctional Institution. Going on their eighth year of family success, The family is first project has assisted in mending the wounds of broken family relationships and implementing positive change from behind prison walls. We are a diverse group of people –Pastors, Ministers, bankers, musicians, social workers, teachers, public servants, business owners, parents, children, and grandparents – united by the prison system to share our experiences.
Who are the Johnsons?
Frank and Stacie Johnson have more than 15 years of training in prison ministry which allows them to share their experiences nationwide. Apostles Frank and Stacie Johnson have over 20 years of combined experience in training and mentoring within the prison system. Their ministry has reached many Ohio penal institutions, including Youngstown. Apostle Frank, who spent more than 20 years incarcerated, began his ministry within the prison system. It was during his time of incarceration that Apostle Frank accepted Christ as his personal savior. He began by leading the Sunday worship services, but would eventually go on to preach and teach God’s word. Apostle Stacie has been preaching and teaching within the prison system for 15 years or more. She also has conducted small focus groups in the community, educating families in the areas of re-entry and healthy relationships. She is licensed as a chemical dependency counselor assistant, she has her B.A. in Criminal Justice, her Masters in Human Services, and is currently working on her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Development. Apostles Frank and Stacie Johnson are also the founders of the The Family is First Project, this program reunifies the inmates and their families through best practices and prevention. Also, while maintaining full-time jobs and a busy household, the Johnsons continue to work closely with local and national non-profit organizations in assisting inmates, turning citizens and their families. Through their ministry, Apostles Frank & Stacie encourage rehabilitation, education and self-development to those who are in the prison system, while also mentoring and supporting their family members.
Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established on a sound and good foundation, Proverbs 24:3
Real Talk Blog! What’s next, after my loved one goes to prison?
Hey there,
I have spoken to many family members over the years, and one of the main concerns I always hear is, what do I do next after they go to jail? After the sentence has been passed down and you take that long road home realizing that your life has forever changed, what’s next? What is my life going to be like? Where do I go from here? First, I would like to say that each situation is different and I must be honest, you will go through a lot of emotional ups and downs within the first year of your journey. You will experience feelings of hurt, anger, discouragement, doubt and fear. But I want you to know that you are not alone! There is a whole tribe of people out there just like you that are here to help you through these tough times. We are a community of survivors who have endured incarceration and are here to help you through the process.