Our Resource Center...
- We offer a homeless-governed shelter program, which restores the dignity of profoundly marginalized people and empowers them to create solutions to homelessness through a constellation of free programs and services;
- Our Center is open from 7 a. m. to 4 p. m., Monday through Saturday and on all major holidays (when most other programs serving the poor and homeless are closed);
- We serve between 130 and 150 homeless adults each day (with an average attendance of five months), totaling 2,500 to 3,000 individuals per year;
- Our homeless constituents are not "clients" -- they are "members" -- members of a community of homeless people in transition to the mainstream;
- Homeless members prevailingly develop a sense of ownership in the Center, help ensure a positive environment, and have a voice in the self-determination of the Repairers of the Breach community.
- Our member-community not only created the Community Rules that govern their shelter -- their "Constitution" -- but they also enforce them;
Our Initiatives...
- All our programs and services address the obstacles homeless people face on their return to the mainstream;
- These free, often one-of-a-kind initiatives are delivered in a "living room" environment that emphasizes the ideal of "homeless helping homeless."
Our Uniqueness...
- The National Coalition for the Homeless has called Repairers of the Breach the leading grassroots advocacy group for the homeless in the United States;
- The Campaign for Human Development, sponsored by the National Catholic Church, has recognized Repairers as an organization unduplicated in the nation;
- National Health Care for the Homeless was sufficiently impressed with Repairers that they brokered a $15,000 one-time contribution from the national philanthropic group Comic Relief;
- Most of our people-resources, including donors and volunteers, are persons of faith. We are a non-sectarian organization welcoming an expanding number of faith contexts, including, but not limited to, Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Jewish, United Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim, Baptist, Pentecostal, American Methodist Episcopal and United Church of Christ faith communities.
Our Successes...
- Every day, noticeable "triumphs of the will" are manifested by smiles, sobriety, sociability and purposefulness in many who were formerly antisocial, suicidal or overwhelmed with personal issues;
- Every month, 15 to 25 homeless members are making significant strides in the areas of employment, housing, entering treatment programs or achieving new levels in education and family reunification;
- Every week, more than 50 members are engaged in activities leading to family reunification; these include individual counseling and support groups, violence reduction and anger management classes, substance abuse recovery, Brown Bag Lunches and other spiritual initiatives;
- Every week, more than 50 members participate in activities and processes leading to building community awareness and the attainment of jobs and housing; these include leadership and volunteerism, employment counseling, literacy training, and using our telephone and mail service "lifelines";
- Every week, 3 to 5 members achieve jobs, housing or both through our many free and often one-of-a-kind programs and services, all delivered in a "living room" setting, where community equals empowerment.
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