COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Saint John ’ s Program for Real Change
UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF WOMEN IN CRISIS
Saint John ’ s Program for Real Change believes in women and their power as individuals , mothers , daughters and a community . Saint John ’ s mission is to unleash the potential of women in crisis with a vision of breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence , one family at a time .
The face of homelessness is changing . Numbers of homeless women and children are growing at the fastest rate ever . According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness , since 2016 , unsheltered women significantly outnumber unsheltered men , and nationwide , California has the largest increase . With this growth , limited professional staffing resources community-wide and increasing dependency and housing issues , the challenge is bigger than ever .
“ Saint John ’ s serves 500-plus clients annually ,” says Julie Hirota , CEO . “ As winter approaches , we are reaching our capacity quickly between our interim housing community Saint John ’ s Square and our residential Program for Real Change . We are committed , though , to
ending women ’ s homelessness and providing long-term sustainable results through employment , housing and parenting .”
Saint John ’ s began operating Red Door Desserts to provide employment training when the pandemic began . Red Door Desserts grew from the roots of Plates Cafe , a Saint John ’ s restaurant and catering business . “ Red Door Desserts has become the focus of our training and offers an amazing product — gourmet cookies — toward the incredible and worthy cause of ending women and children homelessness ,” Hirota says .
Saint John ’ s welcomes everyone to sample Red Door Desserts at their monthly Guest Chef Dinners or to order online at sjpreddoordesserts . com .
Saint John ’ s looks to 2022 as a year of investing in their team , growing Red Door Desserts , and supporting the community within their own walls . “ We will reflect on our best work , invest in our team ’ s strengths , deliver outstanding programming and focus on being a community , a neighbor and a great business to work for and support ,” Hirota says . “ We are ONE SAINT JOHN ’ S and we ’ re all in .”
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