From the November 2011 edition of Chronicles

read the November 2011 Chronicles newsletter

It is clear that the U.S. economy is far from rebounding from a crushing recession that has caused unemployment rates over nine percent, increasingly high numbers of foreclosures, limited access to healthcare and an uncertain future for all Americans. According to new Census numbers released in September, nearly 1 in 6 Americans are living in poverty. St. Patrick Center – like all non-profits in the country that assist people struggling with homelessness and poverty – has not been immune to the impact of increasing need for services and decreasing funding streams.

“In such a difficult economic climate, it remains a challenge to maintain the quality and level of services that our clients need and that our community expects,” says Chief Executive Officer Tom Etling. “However, I am confident that with the support of our staff, board and our amazing network of donors and partners, we will reach our year-end fundraising goal.”

St. Patrick Center’s need is great and as we approach the year-end giving season. We hope to engage schools, churches, businesses and individuals in three core program areas of housing, employment and health because it does, in fact, take an entire community to end homelessness. 

To demonstrate the impact of our efforts to build permanent, positive change during a challenging year, here are the program outcomes for Fiscal Year 2011:

Independent Living Skills/ABE & GED: 520 participants and 200 graduates learned parenting and living skills that support their move to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. We taught reading, writing and math skills in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Education Development (GED). In addition, 22 clients have received their GED in a Fast Track program that began in 2009.
Neighborhood Support: Agency-wide, 714 poverty-level individuals (484 families) in existing housing were assessed for and/or received utility or rent payment assistance to overcome housing crises.
Project Protect: This regional partnership provided family stability, substance abuse, financial stability and housing services for 200 families with 343 children affected by parental substance abuse.
Rosati Apartments: We provided case management services and housing for a year or more to 18 chronically homeless men and women in our permanent, supportive housing complex. In addition, 3 residents graduated into independent apartments in the community and 2 were moved to more supervised settings to meet their treatment needs.
Rosati Assertive Community Treatment (ACT): We provided permanent housing, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and employment and financial guidance services to 19 Rosati Apartments ACT residents and up to 32 chronically homeless individuals living at other sites in the community.
Rosati Group Home: We provided counseling, daily living skills instruction and 24-hour protective oversight to 32 clients who are mentally ill. Of the 18 who were discharged, 11 moved into more independent living quarters after acquiring daily living skills and stability.  
The BEGIN New Venture Center: 15 new companies signed on with the BEGIN New Venture Center small business incubator, for a total of 24 companies with mission sensitivity to provide employment opportunities for St. Patrick Center clients.
BEGIN Training & Education Center: 120 clients graduated from BTEC employment
programs, including construction, green jobs, painting, safety training and GED education.
Building Employment Skills for Tomorrow (BEST): 78 men and women earned part-time wages and completed on-the-job training. 42 were placed into jobs and 37 were housed.
General Employment: We assisted 748 individuals with job training, employment readiness, transportation and work uniforms.
Homeless Employment Program (HEP): We helped 200 clients find and retain full-time employment in this program that works as an employment agency, with no fee to the employer or to the applicant. In addition, we achieved 87 housing placements.
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP): We placed 146 veterans into full-time jobs and 90 into housing. 44 received advanced employment training.
Job Experience Training (JET): 30 active clients participated in this intense computer skills training program that includes an eight-week training class with stipend followed by a four-week paid internship with a local employer. In addition, 37 took classes to receive a nationally recognized ServSafe Certificate.
McMurphy’s Grill: 68 clients participated in the nation’s first restaurant training program for clients struggling with homelessness and mental illness. 28 found employment.  
Project HERO: We placed 70 honorably discharged veterans, including females and other hard-to-house veterans, in housing and helped stabilize an additional 27 for more than one year, ending more than 205 years of homelessness. A total of 125 vets received comprehensive housing and employment assistance.
Project REACH: Over the five-year term of this program, we enrolled 884 participants and placed 668 into full-time jobs after their release from prison. We also provided comprehensive housing, mentoring and substance abuse services to these clients. 
Veterans GO! Green: We placed 45 veterans into green jobs and 18 into housing. We added 25 employers to our list of program supporters, many of whom provided veterans with green industry training and generated 23 green industry paid internships.
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT): We provided mental health, psychiatric, employment and financial guidance services to 60 clients.
Casserole Program: 56 church and community groups (2,622 volunteers) provided 150,266 hot, nutritious meals covering every day of the year for our Shamrock Club Day Treatment Program, Rosati Group Home and Shamrock Club Evening Program (Alumni Club).
City Seeds Urban Farm: 33 clients participated in this hands-on job training program led by Gateway Greening.  
Mobile Outreach: Two full-time counselors, using bikes or vans, developed trusting relationships with 163 homeless mentally ill people living on the streets and engaged 63 individuals to agency programs and services.
Shamrock Club Day Treatment Program: We assisted 1,010 homeless clients experiencing mental illness and/or substance abuse issues with making a commitment to work on personal goals, benefits assistance, psychiatric assessment, job training, employment and housing.
Shamrock Club Evening Program (Alumni Club): We provided employment training, financial counseling and substance abuse counseling in a safe, supportive environment to an annual membership of 56.
Shamrock Club Intensive Case Management (ICM, mental health & substance abuse): We helped 274 clients dealing with substance abuse and mental illness.
Shamrock Club Women’s Night Program: We provided a safe place to sleep at night to 72 mentally ill and/or chemically dependent women. We assisted 19 with their move to permanent housing.
Celtic Consulting: We worked with non-profit organizations to build capacity and improve outcomes. Membership in the GO! Network for unemployed professionals grew to 3,400. 
Child Drop-In Center: 252 children, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, were cared for during visits to our safe, educational and nurturing environment while their parents received services.
Client Intake, Assessment & Tracking Program: Counselors completed 3,574 new, comprehensive assessments of clients’ needs, capturing vital information regarding income, education, children, etc.
Healthcare Wing: This collaborative effort of Grace Hill Health Services, Logan Chiropractic Clinic and the Greater St. Louis Dental Society provided comprehensive health services to 1,020 clients.

To view all of our programs and outcomes, visit the Programs pages on our website: www.stpatrickcenter.org.