Saint John's Program for Real Change

I spent an entire summer completely poor by doing an internship here but what I got was worth much more than money. St. John's is a shelter for women and children (males up to age 14 can stay here, females of any age). Women and their children are allowed to stay up to two weeks or if the women take the classes offered by St. John's they are allowed to stay up to two months. They take required classes on money management, respect, jobs, etc. I worked in the daycare with children that were new born to age 16. What I remember is this: cuuuuuuuute kids, I mean so cute, fieldtrips to the movies and the zoo, inside and outside games, sibling relationships, a 7 year old knowing what a hooker was, snack time, crying babies, learning numbers, the alphabet and animals, and this is what I remember most. A 14 year old girl was living in the shelter when I started working there. At first she hated me because "I took her job helping watch the children." At the end of her two months, she told me that she loved me and that I was her favorite person that worked there. It was amazing to see that I could have such an impact on someone in such a short period of time and I will always remember that for as long as I live.

They are the best place to donate anything and everything....gently used clothing, furniture, books, schools supplies, anything you give is appreciated and will get used. Directed to those in need. Your things won't be sold but actually used by the people/children without!!

I am a current volunteer, I started out earlier this year and am helping in the kitchen once or several times per week doing whatever needs to be done to prepare meals.St. John's Shelter operates with mostly volunteer labor and largely by the use of donated food.This is an amazing organization, helping women and children in need and teaching them new skills for life.I have volunteered for a lot of places but this is by far the most constructive environment I have encountered, ever.I observe respect and courtesy towards each other among staff, clients, children and adults as the rule, not as the exception and it feels good to be part of an organization that actually changes lives.So, for those of you who are looking for a good cause...I recommend St. John's Shelter.For those of you who don't have much time, I have another suggestion: go have lunch at their restaurant "Plates" in which the women staying at the shelter are learning actual working skills as well as management skills by working at the restaurant which makes them competitive in the job market.The food is great there.

I was once a client of Saint Johns program for Real change from 6/26/2024-11/18/2024. During my stay, I appreciated the allowance of housing, access to internet/printer services daily, along with 3 full meals a day. However, there were drawbacks to being there. There were instances of bending of rules for clients that posed a realistic threat, an unrealistic daily diet for the women and children, as well as strict guidelines - which also led to my immediate exit. Although it was a first time- one off- incident- that was a result from a traumatic encounter with my family - there was not any consideration of these factors, so I had to leave. Even though I was ready to accept a consequence, I truly thought that my full growth there would overrule my exit ( Being accepted into Job Readiness and preparing to excel further to housing)- I was wrong. While I do take accountability for my actions, their response has truly broken my trust in any new program, because I no longer feel secure in sharing my personal information any longer. My thoughts that programs like this, focus more on numbers (entry of new clients), and not on the success of those that follow the program. I now have accepted that I am no longer with my fellow sisters, but I am still pushing forward with employment and housing- something that I had to delay for months in order to remain a part of the SJ program, but I feel like there needs to be a review of the guidelines.

I was a client there from December 2021 to December 2021. This is a great rehabilitation but has so much more to offer then that. I is a great way for a person to transition from incarceration to reenter into the community. The classes vary from drug addiction , codependency and relationships, employability ,transforming habits , along with many other life skills and coping tools. It gives opportunity of far more success rate to hqve a chance to succeed after release from prison. I have been home for over 2 years . I have made it off parole. Gained employment immediately , It takes about a full year at rhe program to complete all 4 phases of the program and graduate with full completion . If u dont have that much time left when u get to the program before your parole date, you will be released from the program with a completiona bit not as a graduate . I was honored with fully completing and graduation of the program The key to it working for me was i fully engaged and got everyrhing there was to offer me I cant say enough about the staff there and what they bring to the table. It takes a strong , courageous individual to do all the hard work inside to cone out of the demon of addiction Thank you , Renee Crame

The business is a great idea and somewhat of a solution. The negatives of the business is that the workers have to find their own coverage when they need to take a day off. There are never enough workers; some may quit within a week of starting at this job. Other times a staff may be left by themselves with no coworkers to supervise on average of 200 women. The next thing is that they're underpaid for their job requirements. I've even seen workers being fired behind a Facebook post that had nothing to do with the job and was not negative on their own personal time. Within the past couple of weeks they've had a number of COVID-19 cases within their facility. This at the end of the day isn't the best place to work at and if you plan on being a client BEWARE!

I'm a graduate of the Vocational Training Program at Saint John's. They offer a supportive program to those whom are ready to take control of their lives. An excellent opportunity for women (with or without children) to get back on their feet and become completely self-sufficient.

i had volunteered a st' john's in the late 80's90th at he downtown location and now I read on Sunday evenings to the children at Power Inn. This is the high point of my week. the children sit wide eyed and I try to rotate the books a to season and interest...Dr. S being a perennial favorite.I recommend this to anyone who enjoys children and watching them smile. There are many volunteer opportunity to explore .