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This is a 6 month long intensive training program that provides on-going support services with the goal of leading our guests into a job with housing placement. The program recruits participants from the current Resident Assistants and/or are a resident of the homeless population

The SAFE program will provide the following:

 
BENEFITS

The ultimate goal for the participating residents is to regain stability, rebuild job skills through an on the job readiness program, obtain job referrals and attain self sufficiency.  We project that the security program will provide increased education and job training; a more effective “peer approach” to security-like services, take advantage of the fact that guests respect their peers; and cost savings to the ministry over ever increasing fees paid to security companies

Key responsibilities include providing community service inside the emergency shelter.  These activities may include such things as:

 
In return for several hours of community service to the agency each week, participants will be given a weekly stipend that may entail cash and/or a gift card/certificate.  The stipend may also be withheld for rule violations and non-performance of assigned duties.

Eligibility Criteria

Admission Criteria

Program Goals
Although there is no set time limit for this program, participants are expected to:

Our Commitment
Participants in the Helping Hands program will:

Eligibility Criteria

Admission Criteria

Program Goals
SAMMinistries believes the Priority Resident Program provides a period of stability for homeless men and women and gives them an opportunity to save their money for the duration of their stay, which will better equip them for maintaining their household, upon exiting to either transitional or permanent housing. 

In addition, issues that may have caused or contributed to the client’s homelessness can be addressed during their stay with SAMMinistries with referrals to appropriate counseling services, healthcare providers, or other social service agencies, as needed. These issues include, but are not limited to, substance abuse, mental illness or domestic violence.
Specific goals of the program include, but are not limited to:

Life Skills classes are an integral part of the learning for Priority Residents and include such things as:  Parenting (SAMMinistries); Health Education (Centro Med); and Conflict Management (Community Based Counseling).

Resident Assistants, also known as RA’s, assist with the daily overall operations of the Emergency Shelter including, but not limited to:

In return for 40 hours of service to the agency, RA’s will be given a weekly stipend that may entail cash and/or a gift card/certificate.  The stipend may also be withheld for rule violations and non-performance of assigned duties.

Eligibility Criteria

Admission Criteria

Program Goals
SAMMinistries believes the RA program provides a period of stability for homeless men and women and gives them an opportunity to prepare for the job market.  Within the daily routine, an RA will learn how to work professionally with others, up to and including SAMMinistries guests, staff members, visitors, volunteers and employees of collaborative agencies.

Specific goals of the program include, but are not limited to:

Life Skills classes are an integral part of the learning for the RA’s and include such things as:  Parenting (SAMMinistries); Money Management (SAMMinistries); Health Education (Centro Med); and Conflict Management (Community Based Counseling).

Referrals to the SAMMinistries Employment Coordinator will be provided by the RA’s assigned worker.  The Employment Coordinator will develop individualized case plans with the RA’s to seek and obtain employment outside the ministry.  Housing concerns will be addressed with a SAMMinistries housing specialist.

RA’s may also be referred to Community Based Counseling or Center for Health Care Services for counseling and mental health services.

Resident Assistant Program Breakdown
The entire program length of the Resident Assistant program is 90 days.

PHASE I:  Service Work (30 days)
The first thirty (30) days are scheduled work days, with five (5) days on and two (2) days off per week.  There are various assigned tasks required to be completed on a daily basis within and around the facility.

RA’s are required to:

PHASE II:  Job Search (15 days)
After the initial thirty day (30) work period, program participants will be placed on inactive status and are assigned to a fifteen day (15) job search.  After the job search, participants will repeat the thirty day (30) work period and fifteen day (15) job search. 

If participants are unable to work due to a mental or physical disability, the assigned worker will require them to apply for an entitlement, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). 

PHASE III:  Priority Status (90 days)
After successful completion of Phase II (securing an income), participants will be placed in the 90-day priority single program so he/she can continue to:

Resident Assistant Stipend
In return for service to the agency, RA’s will be given a weekly stipend. 

Camp SAMM was launched in 1996 for children residing at SAMMinistries’ Emergency Shelter to provide free day camp for school age children between the ages of 4 years during the summer months, holidays, and spring break.  This Camp allows children in crisis the opportunity to participate in activities that are usual experiences for most children, while also enhancing children’s learning and love for school. Equally as important, the camp allows parents the freedom that they need to find housing, employment, or tend to other needs without the added worry of child care. 

The program provides field trips for the children to learn and have fun.  Some of these activities include: attractions, exhibitions, theatre, outdoor recreation, and visual performing arts.  We also focus on indoor fun: “arts enrichment”, character development, home-living, puzzles, and nature/science.  These activities encourage children to broaden their horizons and provide both cultural and social enrichment so that each child can grow to reach their fullest potential.  The arts/crafts projects are also a wonderful way to say thank you to those who support our mission and the children we serve.  This year the children will be painting clay coasters which will then be glazed and fired.  They will also be participating in making “hand print” paintings.  These wonderful works of art will display each child’s hand print in a multitude of colors surrounding a message of “THANK YOU”.  When complete each piece of artwork will be signed and presented to guests at our annual appreciation meeting and dinner.

Children participating in Camp SAMM are also offered the opportunity to attend traditional-style camp.  Each child in the program attends the YMCA, where they can build friendships and spend time with children from all walks of life.

We also encourage our children to give back to the community by volunteering.  The program operates in cooperation with participating churches, individuals, and local organizations which provides safe and secure modeling from nurturing and caring adults.  In the past, the children have visited the residents at Morningside Manor, a nursing home care unit, and have been exposed to the world of work (careers). 

Camp SAMM staff has previous experience and longevity in working with campers and operates on a 1:12 staff to camper ratio.  The Camp is held 10–11 weeks in the summer, 1 week in the spring, and 1 week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The camp hours are from 9:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  SAMMinistries has two 14-passenger vans, which are readily available for transporting the children on all field trips.  

Population Served
This free and available childcare also gives parents the opportunity to work or go to school with the comfort of knowing that their children are safe, thus helping to promote their path to self-sufficiency.  ASK is year-round every Monday through Friday.  During the school year, ASK staff meet the school bus at 3:30 p.m., and the children stay in the program until 6:00 p.m.  During school holidays and summer break, ASK runs from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. 

All of those on the program staff are CPR and First Aid certified.  They are trained extensively in child safety, developmental needs, and to promote positive guidance, positive behaviors, and socialization skills.  They are trained to recognize indications of child abuse and child neglect and implement developmentally appropriate weekly lesson plans.  The staff nurtures a positive self-image in the children and they each receive at least 30 hours of training each year. 

Parents and case managers work closely with the staff to ensure that the children are being supported by all the adults in their lives. The stability of the same staff members and the same daily structure in this program allows the children to build trusting relationships with adults and learn appropriate behavioral and socialization skills.

The goals for After School Kare (ASK) are:

This program is designed to develop the child as a whole, enhancing each child’s emotional, intellectual, social, and physical well-being.  This is accomplished through organized fine arts, science, math, and physical activities.  The curriculum provides a creative learning environment, supervised play, and even field trips to exciting locations.

It is founded on the belief that children who are cared for develop the capacity to trust, care, and respect themselves, as well as other living creatures and the environment. 

Population Served
Our classes are attended by all parents staying at the Emergency Shelter and in our Transitional programs. Our recruitment efforts are aimed at trying to minimize the resistance we face when we approach parents regarding the program. Parents come to SAMMinistries in need of housing, and usually do not identify parenting education as one of their immediate priorities. We work with the residents to increase their awareness of parenting education and the positive impact on the family and, more specifically, on the children.

Accommodations are made to assist participants with low literacy levels and Spanish-speaking participants.  The Parenting Program at SAMMinistries is MANDATORY for all guests with children.  The program is conducted in group based sessions once a week for 11 weeks for any guests of our transitional programs at our Transitional Living and Learning Center (TLLC) and for 5 weeks at the Emergency Shelter on Commerce Street and will continue under our programs at Haven for Hope.  Each class is 75 minutes.  Classes for the adults and children run concurrently, discussing the same issues and what to expect during the next week.  Participation in group sessions is mandatory for all families.  Individual sessions including home visits are voluntary; however, strongly encouraged.

Feedback received from parents regarding the program is very positive. Parents have stated verbally and in writing that they are changing in a positive way and their family life is improving as a result of practicing the concepts learned. Direct observations by staff confirm the statements made by these parents.

The knowledge improvement rate at the TLLC last year was 100% compared to our original projection of 90%. For the Emergency Shelter the improvement rate was 92%, compared to the 60% projected

Evidence of Program Need
While stability and family life-skills training are important factors in bringing balance to a child’s life, studies indicate that homeless children need extra attention to help overcome the emotional constraints brought on by their turbulent pasts. Children lack the cognitive maturity to benefit from talking through their problems. Conversely, adult controlled activities do not give children the feeling of empowerment they can achieve with the voluntary activity of play.

Play Therapy can be a valuable tool in helping troubled children work through their issues, since play is a child's natural method of learning, developing, and expressing their feelings.  In a play therapy session, the child is the director and rule maker. They create a world they can master, practice social skills, overcome frightening feelings, and symbolically triumph over the upsets and traumas that have stolen their sense of well-being.  

A trained play therapist understands the metaphorical content of a child's play, and strives to help the child express their needs and discover solutions in a safe, therapeutic environment. Play therapy offers children the opportunity to use the power of their own natural creativity and imagination to heal and grow.

Play therapy takes place in a playroom, specially designed, decorated, and furnished with the toys and equipment children need to use as tools for the dramatic scenes they direct with the therapist. Parents are important allies in the play therapy process and can do much to support and enhance the work their child does in play therapy sessions. Therapists meet regularly with parents to learn what is happening in the child's life, to share important observations, and to give suggestions on how parents can support their child's therapy.

Getting though the teenage years is difficult on most young people and their parents.  When homelessness is added to the insecurities of the teenage years, it is a volatile combination.  Studies have shown that teens that grow up in a homeless family are more often than not going to end up homeless in their adult life.  There is a much higher percentage of alcohol and drug abuse, in addition to sexual experiences in teenagers of homeless families. 

The Teen Program gives our teens, which have spent most of their young lives in crisis, a place where they can be teens.  By focusing on creative arts, we teach life skills and offer challenges and new exciting experiences.

The program provides a positive, constructive alternative for homeless teens.  It is open to all young people age 12 - 18 years at the TLLC.  The program includes guest speakers, art projects, field trips, organized sports, and culinary arts.  During the school year, the program is offered Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 pm. And on Tuesdays from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (life skills classes are held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays). In the summer, the program is offered for thirteen weeks.  The teens have an average of at least one field trip a week during the summer.

Summer 2007 Field Trip Schedule:

In addition to the multiple field trips scheduled, we also have the Jump-Start Art Performance Co. come to our TLLC facility 3 days out of the week.  Within this program each individual participates to put together and form a performance that will be presented to the residents at TLLC.  The vision of this is that “art” is a powerful tool empowering individuals to discover constructive ways to make their voices heard, to impact their community, and take control of their own futures.  Jump-Start Art encourages open dialog and opinions about any project the teens are involved in.  The ultimate goal is to engage the teenagers and give them the opportunity to work together to accomplish one particular project or goal.