St. John's Program for Real Change

Saint John’s is dedicated to the eradication of homelessness for each woman and child it serves. We require a far greater commitment from her than she has ever made. Program residents are not required to pay rent, but must commit to a long-term, all-encompassing program. She must examine her life, past and future, receive in-depth counseling, and further her education. She must participate in employment training at one of our social enterprises, Plates, Plates Midtown and First Steps, in which women build work ethic and on-the-job training skills. This sets them up for a new kind of success and presents them as viable candidates for the workforce and a new life. In the past eight years, Saint John’s has evolved from providing emergency shelter only, to a year-long program that provides real change in the lives of women and children who have become homeless. During that same period, we have reduced our reliance on public funding to less than 40% of our $7M budget to have the flexibility to require sobriety of our clients. We rely heavily on private funding to fuel the programs we provide to families who have become homeless.