Mission: Our mission is to call and equip compassionate people from many Christian faith traditions to exemplify Christ''s love to homeless women and children by creating and sustaining thriving Bridge of Hope affiliates and program and church sites. Local Bridge of Hope affiliates and sites bring together professional staff and trained church-based mentoring groups to empower homeless and at-risk single mothers to attain: * permanent housing * financial stability through employment *life-changing friendships *increased self-esteem and growth in areas of holistic living
Programs: From recruiting churches to training mentors and serving homeless families, Bridge of Hope National offers a variety of resources to help Christians end and prevent homelessness among single women and children in their communities. These resources assist affiliates in launching and operating a life-changing ministry of friendship that connects one church with one homeless family. Resources include a complete mentor training program, start-up workbooks, operational manuals, training, newsletters, conferences and unlimited phone consultation.
As a six-year board member, I have been impressed with Bridge of Hope's steadfast commitment to several key components of effective work: 1) seeing board work as a learning community, constantly searching for the best ways to work alongside real human people, not a target group; 2) constanting keeping the women & their children as the main focus of our energies, not the perpetuation of our organization; and, 3) seeing the strengths that a woman & her family bring to the task of ending their cycle of homelessness & its attendant issues.
Bridge of Hope National has the audacity to think it can end and prevent homelessness for women and children. As a board member I am impressed with our willingness to tackle this huge issue, to use the "best board practices" in the process of our work, and to use a professional model with such a high rate of sucess in working at this challenge.
