THERESA LIVING CENTER
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Mission Statement
Theresa Living Center has offices and residential living on the east side of St. Paul. We have provided transitional, rapid rehousing, and support services to women and single-parent families who are homeless for over 30 years. Theresa Living Center provides housing and support services to women and single-parent families who are striving to move from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Case management is given to help them determine resources needed (i.e. support, access to information and referrals, rental assistance, transportation, accompaniment to various appointments) to accomplish self-sufficiency in their lives.
About This Cause
Our Residential Program can house 12 women who are single, pregnant or have a child under the age of one year old for up to a two-year period. In the Caroline Family Services Program, we can serve 24 single parent families and their children at any given time for up to a two-year period. The families usually consist of two or more children (any age) and live in their own apartments scattered throughout St. Paul and Ramsey County. In both programs, case managers visit with the women/single parent families at our residential site or in their apartments on a bi-weekly basis. Case managers assist each family set goals for themselves and define what the successful outcomes will look like. The bi- weekly meetings help the families stay focused on their goals and improve their living situation. Homelessness has such a dramatic impact on the children in the families. It has a direct impact on their ability to achieve academically, which leads to their ability to be the responsible wage earners of the future. The Case Managers at Theresa Living Center check and monitor not only the parent’s success, but also ensures that the children in the families are successful, their school attendance and achievement is monitored regularly. Kiley came into our program a single mother of four from a Minnesota reservation. Kiley had numerous barriers in her life; employments, education, criminal history, regain custody of her children from family members and knowledge to navigate the legal system off the reservation. Upon program entry, her sole income was through county assistance. Kiley enrolled in school immediately, enrolled two of her four children in school, obtaining proper documentation for them and started the process for getting custody of her other two children. She went to school for a non-traditional trade for women, a construction cement worker. She gained custody of her other two children within three months of entering the program, graduated from trade school in six months and is now making a living wage for her family to prosper. When she look back over her life, she can give great advice on paying the cost for past bad decisions, but it has made her a voice of reason and sound advice for her children and others and she takes care of past histories, one step at a time. Quarterly, each household/family participates in a detailed evaluation to give them the opportunity to identify their progress on their goals that were established at their start of the program. Many times the evaluation provide an opportunity for staff to encourage and challenge each participant in moving forward in their desire to become self-sufficient and/or to identify additional resources that are needed to successfully achieve their goals. Some goals identified by participants in the program: • Stable housing for their family • Stable employment • Furthering their education • Managing their financial situation • Improving or removing the impact of unlawful detainers • Removing the impact of past criminal background history The resource of weekly in-service workshops provides the families with valuable information or activities to help them meet their goals. Some in service training topics were: • Enhancing your parenting skills • Connecting your child academically • Job interviewing techniques • Developing Good customer service • Dress for success • Nutrition • Budgeting • Accessing and repairing your credit • Health issues • Tenant-landlord rights and responsibilities