Saint John's Program for Real Change
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Mission Statement
Saint John's mission is to unleash the potential of mothers in crisis, improve the quality of their lives and enrich the lives of their families—breaking the cycle of poverty and dependence one family at a time. Since 1985, we have provided more than 30,000 homeless women and children the essential tools to rise above their circumstances and change the trajectory of their lives once and for all.
About This Cause
Saint John's Program for Real Change operates the largest shelter in the region, serving approximately 550 women and children each year. Of the single-mother-led families we serve, they come to us with a combination of barriers: 75% struggle with addition, 71% are in need of mental health services, 70% have histories of domestic violence, 70% have never held a steady job, 45% do not have a high school education, and 60% have served time in jail. Emergency supports are very helpful for these situations, but in and of themselves, they are not adequate in creating real change in the lives of families facing multiple and simultaneous barriers. Saint John’s supports each family in eradicating the deeper, more critical behaviors that have led to this generational cycle of poverty, homelessness and abuse AND to develop new tools that allow them to chart a new course for their futures. When a family enters our 12-18-month rehabilitative program, they are immediately encircled with structure, mental health therapy, alcohol and drug counseling, an on-site Children’s Program, parenting education, basic financial and budgeting classes, healthy relationship training, all transportation services, AND extensive hands-on employment training. Thoughtfully designed to support women in taking responsibility for themselves and their families, each family receives an average of 675 hours of comprehensive services each month. 96% of our mothers are placed in unsubsidized employment upon completion of our employment training program! 23.4% of Californians live in poverty, the highest rate in the nation. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) reported in 2015 that one quarter of California children are living in poverty and an additional one quarter receive assistance because they are "near poverty." This report adds, “Children who experience poverty are less likely to work as adults and have low odds of making it out of poverty as adults.” The long-term effects of children living in poverty are often devastating to the family, as well as to the community. Saint John’s program is designed to counteract this trauma. While mothers are active in rebuilding their lives, we have a dedicated, specially-trained team working with their children to address the devastating effects of homelessness, poverty and abuse. In most cases, mothers have been moving from place to place and children on average change schools 2-3 times each year. Mothers in these “barely surviving” situations are often unaware of the early childhood education services available to them and even if they are aware, they are not able to access them given the transportation challenges. Upon arriving at Saint John’s, each school-age child is enrolled in our local public school. Each child below school age is enrolled into school or our on-site Children’s Program designed using Sacramento County’s “Pre-school Bridging Model.” Our Bridge-to-School Readiness Program provides age-appropriate classrooms and enriching activities for teaching early-learning and standardized school readiness curriculums based on the Four California Learning Foundations: cognitive, social-emotional, motor and language development. This program provides childhood experiences many wouldn’t otherwise receive. Teachers utilize evidence-based practices, the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, and curriculum from the Center on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning. Children are provided hearing and vision screenings and teachers are provided ongoing professional development classes. For school-age children, mothers work with Case Managers to evaluate and enroll children into school. Uniforms and all transportation to and from school are provided. Through a partnership with the Lemon Hill Boys and Girls Club here in Sacramento, children participate daily in an after school program providing homework help and much needed recreational activity. Experienced staff members address the critical social and emotional needs of these kids through tutoring, mentorship and coaching. In addition, Sacramento’s Book Mobile visits Saint John’s every Monday evening. All children experience the benefits of structured daily routines and a safe and predictable environment. All children improve their school attendance and academic achievement, increasing their prospects for an educationally enriched future that creates a visible pathway out of poverty and homelessness. Simultaneously, mothers are offered parenting classes to improve their parenting and relationship skills and become positive role models. In turn, their children begin emulating these new behaviors. This is how the cycle begins to be broken, with real change becoming more evident each day. Approximately 20% of the mothers we serve are in the process of reunification with their children. By facilitating these reunifications, families come back together in a safe and structured environment where they can build a healthy foundation— together—while mothers work towards family and economic sustainability. These services alone save millions of dollars annually by moving children out of foster care and group homes and into an environment where they can learn to thrive together. Children who are removed from their homes and placed in foster care often experience detrimental short and long-term effects. Researchers estimate that up to 80% of children in foster care exhibit emotional and/or behavioral problems, either from their experiences before entering foster care or from the foster care experience itself. Saint John’s believes it is imperative for reunification to happen while mothers are still in our program so they may actively work through the devastating circumstances of their situations. While here, Mothers implement positive and healthy family dynamics in a safe and supportive environment, and begin the process that will bring about life-long changes. As Saint John’s has grown from providing emergency shelter for 30-60 days for families, to a 12-18 month program for real change for almost double the number of families, we have reduced our reliance on public funding to less than 20% of our $5M budget.