Home Sweet Home Ministries Inc

Programs: Retail operations: home sweet home ministries receives donated goods from the community, processes the items in their warehouse, sells the goods in their mission mart store in bloomington, and recycles items that cannot be sold in the store. Net proceeds from the store and recycling efforts are used to offset program costs of home sweet home ministries. Clients of home sweet home ministries and other human service agencies in the community are able to obtain vouchers to obtain clothing from the mission mart if they do not have the means to purchase needed items.

shelter care: home sweet home ministries operates a 24 hour, year round residential care program within the billy shelper center (75 bed capacity) with seven beds reserved for veterans. This year, home sweet home ministries provided over 18,000 nights of shelter to persons in need. There are separate rooms for families with children. In addition to meals, residents at the center receive toiletries, showers, clothing, case management, and christian ministry. During their stay, individuals and families are matched with a case manager who assists in many areas, including housing, locating childcare, and employment. Programming is available to residential clients with the goal of providing access to educational, spiritual, and therapeutic services that will facilitate and promote meaningful life transformation.

meals: home sweet home ministries operates a full service dining room at the billy shelper center which prepares and serves three meals daily (over 87,000 meals this year) to residents of the center as well as those who walk-in from the street. All meals are well-balanced, meet usda guidelines and are prepared by trained and certified staff. Volunteers are frequently used to help serve meals. A large portion of food served comes from a regional food bank, individual, grocery store, and restaurant donations. Sack lunches are provided to individuals who are not able to eat in the shelter during regular meal times. In addition to residential and non-residential meals, home sweet home ministries operates a low-income food co-op as a way of improving the food security of low-income households in the community.

community services: bridge of hope is a 12-24 month program designed to assist families with children in achieving family stability. Bridge of hope strives to end and prevent homelessness for families with the help of trained neighboring groups within congregations. Our goal is to exemplify christs love and to promote physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wholeness. Families attain permanent housing; financial stability through employment; life-changing friendships; and growth and wholeness. The mobile health project is a collaboration between home sweet home ministries and the local free health care clinic. The mobile health projects offers regular walk-in clinics at key locations across the community, and uses a 40-foot long medical truck in some locations. Individuals who are uninsured or are not connected to medical care are eligible to receive immediate care provided by qualified health care professionals as well as supportive services that address common social determinants of health.