MILAGRO HOUSE
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : c***s@m**********e.o*g
Mission Statement
Milagro House's mission is to provide educational programming, housing and life-skills training for women and their children who would otherwise be experiencing homelessness. Our vision is to turn a woman's goal of getting an education into an achievable reality by removing the barriers to betterment and self-sufficiency that women in poverty often experience. Providing the opporunity to complete their education means that women may leverage their education to get a job at a family sustaining wage.
About This Cause
Milagro House is a place where women and their children who have experienced homelessness and poverty have a chance to build a bright future. Our formula for success is simple: provide a supportive atmosphere where women can receive an education while living with their children in a safe, nurturing environment. Education is what sets Milagro House apart. By giving women an opportunity to get an education – supported by programming that develops valuable life skills (budgeting, parenting, nutrition, etc.) – we are opening doors to meaningful employment at a self-sustaining wage and to a life built on independence and empowerment. When they leave Milagro House, women are able to afford safe, stable housing where their children can grow and thrive. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES: Women accepted into our program must be committed to pursuing educational advancement. The staff at Milagro House customizes each woman’s program to meet her specific needs. Her educational journey is supplemented with additional supports (individual and group counseling, parenting programs and life skills training) that strengthens her ability to reach her goals. GED PROGRAM: Women attend GED classes at Milagro House’s Education Center. Classes are held M-F. Our Director of Education is supported by several volunteer tutors (most of whom are retired teaches). This structure allows for 1:1 support for each woman’s customized education plan. Milagro House is also a GED HiSet certified testing center. allowing women to take their tests at Milagro House and earn their GED credential seamlessly. We also partner with Tec Centro and offer the HiSet tests in Spanish to women in their GED program at a greatly reduced cost. Most women in our GED program live at Milagro House with their children; we have several non-residential slots available in the classroom as well. POST-SECONDARY PROGRAM: Women may live at Milagro House and pursue a post-secondary credential through an accredited trade/technical or college program; Milagro House has relationships with many institutions of higher learning including Harrisburg Area Community College, PA College of Health Sciences, Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, Tec Centro, Thaddeus Steven’s College, Consolidated School of Business, York Technical Institute and Millersville University. Milagro House assists women with post-secondary applications, financial aid forms and ongoing educational support to ensure that women are successful in their course of study. post-secondary program pro It is important to note that many women who come to Milagro House with the short-term goal of completing their high school education through our GED program, often decide to stay in the program and continue their education at the post-secondary level. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: In 2018, Milagro House added the Workforce Development Program. Rooted in collaborative partnerships with local employers, the program creates a win-win scenario for our women who are seeking employment at a sustaining wage, and employers looking for qualified, trained employees. To that end, women now begin career counseling immedietly upon entering the program, rather than when they are closer to finishing their education. They meet weekly with our Career and Community Navigator to develop a customized career plan that supports their individualiozed education plan. Through a process of completing interest inventories and identifying hands-on opportunities through employers, mentors and internships, women can essentially “test drive” a career to determine if it aligns with their goals and interests. Connecting education to career goals early on also provides women with a tangible vision of the benefit of completing their educational program successfully. Further, they are able to develop a network of professional contacts that will support their initial job search and their future advancement in their field of interest. HOUSING: In order to allow women enrolled in our program to fully focus on their education, Milagro House provides housing at our 669 West Chestnut Street building for women and their children while they are pursuing their GED and/or post-secondary program of study. By meeting the most basic needs of housing, safety and stability, we allow the women to focus on their own growth and development knowing that their most basic needs are being met. CASE MANAGEMENT: Our case managers empower women to create a vision for their future and help put the steps in place to make it happen. Case managers Meet with each woman at least weekly to create and review individualized goals to ensure that each woman is staying on track. They assist women further by connecting women to community resources to help support their path to independence. They also ensure that the children that live with us are connected to resources needed to ensure healthy development and school readiness. LIFE-SKILLS PROGRAMMING: Milagro House provides a scaffolding of support for mothers and their children that goes beyond educational goals. Workshops centered on budgeting, nutrition, parenting, healthy relationships, etc., support women’s path to independence. Children’s programming that promotes healthy development early education is also planned regularly, BEYOND MILAGRO HOUSE: Succesfully completing the Milagro House program is certainly a time for celebration. However, leaving a place that has become like home to a woman and her children can be an uncertain time both during the initial transition and over the first critical year of independence. This year, we put in place a formal structure of support known as the Beyond Milagro House Program to ease this transition and add support as a woman navigates her first year. Beyond Milagro House gives women access to our full services for at least one year, ensuring that they still have a support system that helps them stay sustainable and independent. Women meet with Milagro House staff at least monthly – more if an unexpected challenge comes up – with the goal of tracking their progress, connecting them to community resources and addressing any small problems before they become insurmountable. To help ease their budgets, women receive a Beyond Milagro House care package monthly that includes basic food items, household supplies and diapers and wipes if applicable. Beyond Milagro House also provides the organization with a means to track progress and outcomes, critical to measuring our overall success. Over time, these statistics will give us a clear picture of long-term program outcomes and presents an opportunity to identify gaps in service so we are able to adjust program structure as needed.