Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2017-2018 | Page 116

Saint
John's
Program for Real Change
“NOTHING IN LIFE WILL WORK UNLESS YOU DO.”
M
any organizations strive
to help women in need
— those struggling with
substance abuse, a violent home,
or living on the streets in need of
food and shelter. The causes of these
organizations are similar to Saint
John’s, however, there is a dramatic
difference in how they confront these
critical issues.
Saint John’s Program for Real
Change began in 1985 at St. John’s
Lutheran Church in Sacramento as
an overnight shelter for homeless
women and children. Today, they
help women become self-sustaining,
and the primary providers for their
families. Safe and communal shelter
remain critical components, but
the core of today's program is case
management, mental health therapy,
addiction counseling, educational and
life improvement classes, childcare,
and transportation. In a landmark
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CAPITAL REGION CARES 2017 | comstocksmag.com
approach to helping women re-enter
the mainstream, they participate in
job training at one of three social
enterprises, Plates Café & Catering,
Plates Midtown, and First Steps Child
Development Center. Ninety-six
percent of Saint John’s employment
training graduates are placed in non-
subsidized employment!
Saint John’s works with the whole
family to counteract the devastating
effects of generational poverty and
homelessness. The women and children
experience the benefits of living in
a safe, structured and predictable
environment. Children develop positive
social interactions, while mothers learn
to role model positive behaviors for
their children—and the vicious cycle
begins to crumble.
Saint John’s operates at full-capacity
serving 180 women and children
daily with more than 250 women and
children on the waiting list. With the
SAINTJOHNSPROGRAM.ORG
—MAYA ANGELOU
acquisition of a new building adjacent
to their current facility, they will soon
serve an additional 90 women and
children daily. “We are nearly half
way there in funding this expansion
and would so appreciate your help
in getting us over the finish line! This
expansion will not work… unless we
do,” concludes Michele Steeb, Saint
John’s CEO.
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