Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2018-2019 | Page 110

saint john's
PROGRAM
program FOR
for
REAL
real CHANGE
change
Breaking cycles, changing lives
S
ingle-mother-led families are among
the most invisible, yet rapidly
growing segments of the exploding
homeless population. Saint John’s
Program for Real Change offers life-
changing services aimed at helping these
women and children break the cycle of
poverty and dependence, one family at
a time.
Founded in 1985 as a 30-day
emergency shelter, Saint John’s
transitioned in 2007 to an 18-month
comprehensive residential program,
having witnessed too much recidivism
and realizing that 30 days of shelter was
not enough to help these families change
the trajectory of their lives.
“We provide whole-family care,” says
Saint John’s Director of Development
Sasha Wirth. “We address physical,
mental, spiritual, educational, and
logistical challenges, and we offer the
tools needed to build confidence and
self-sufficiency, so these women and
children become contributing members
of society.”
Services include mental health
therapy, alcohol and drug counseling,
family and individual counseling, a high
school completion program, life skills
classes such as parenting, budgeting,
and employment training. Three Saint
John’s social enterprises, Plates Café,
Plates Midtown, and First Steps Child
Care, provide participants with hands-
on job training.
“We serve 270 women and children
daily and up to 1,000 annually,” notes
Wirth, “but still have 250-300 on our
waiting list daily. Our pressing goal is
to dramatically reduce the number of
women and children waiting to enter,
and to provide even more employment
training opportunities with the launch
of an additional social enterprise. We
rely largely on community donations
SAINTJOHNSPROGRAM.ORG
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CAPITAL REGION CARES 2018-19 | comstocksmag.com
to operate this program and to achieve
forthcoming goals.”
Having reduced its reliance on public
funding from 70 percent in 2007 to less
than 30 percent in 2018, Saint John’s
greatly appreciates monetary donations,
clothing and household items, and
volunteer time. “We also encourage the
community to dine or hold events at our
restaurants, and/or to hire Plates to cater
your corporate or personal events,” says
Wirth.
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