FATHER MCKENNA CENTER INC

In the Day Program for Men Currently Experiencing Homelessness, we have a proven path from homelessness to stability and housing. This path is called The Better Life Pyramid. The Better Life Pyramid takes the overwhelming task of resolving the problem of homelessness and breaks it in to clear, achievable steps. Case managers work closely with the men as they take on the obstacles and challenges that have led to this difficult life status. All steps are based in recognizing and upholding the dignity of each man. It is important to establish trust in both the case managers and the institution. We offer breakfast and lunch, showers, clothing, access to a telephone and computers - all as an invitation into a relationship of trust. We believe that men cam make more progress if they have resources upon which to draw. In the Day Program men are encouraged to take advantage of the programs that are offered, such as Peace Circle, Restorative Justice Circle, Recidivism Prevention Workshop and others. As men make progress, we have many partners in this space to which we make referrals, whether for housing, job training, mental health support or drug/alcohol rehabilitation. In the Greg Gannon Food Pantry we work closely with the Capital Area Food Bank to procure staple goods as well as fresh fruits and vegetables and meat. The Center also provides milk and eggs and fresh bread.

The Father McKenna Center is well positioned to fulfill our mission. We have just completed a $3 million renovation of our space (the basement of a church built in 1859) to create a facility that truly functions as a social services Center. The restroom and shower facilites have been remodels to provide a dignified experience. The facility now includes a dedicated classroom to facilitate the personal and emotional growth of our guests. The staff has been very stable over the past five years. The President has served for over five years and led both the capital campaign and the renovation effort. The Director of Services, who works most closely with our guests, has been at the Center for over 10 years, and has extensive experience in addictions counseling. The Director of Development has been with the Center for over six years, and has been very successful at increasing both the number and size of donations in his tenure. The Board of Directors is very engaged and committed to this work. Each Board member is active on at least one committee of the Board. Board members participate actively in opportunities to meet the people that we serve, such as helping in our Food Pantry or Clothing Closet. As a whole, the Board members contributed 14% of the funding needed for the renovations. We also have a very strong cohort of volunteers. The staff is small and we rely heavily on dedicated volunteers - many of whom function as staff, with job descriptions and responsibilities. Over 500 volunteers provided service to people in need in the 2019 fiscal year. The recent success of our capital campaign demonstrates that we have a solid donor base. Donors are well cared for and appreciate the good stewardship that we provide. We have a financial reserve that will allow us to function for nearly two years at the current level of expenditure should we experience significant financial uncertainties in the market. The Father McKenna Center has a very good reputation in our community and in our service space. We have numerous partners and collaborators to whom we can refer our guests and who share our goals.

The struggle to overcome homelessness is long and difficult. We measure success by the progress that guests make in The Better Life Pyramid. Each step completed brings a man closer to ending his plight of homelessness. Men who complete the program and find stability and housing are considered "McKenna Men." We stay connected to them and many of them return to the Center to speak with current guests to encourage them in their journeys. We consider that progress is made each time one of our guests chooses to take his mental health seriously and stays compliant with his health care provider, or when a man takes the difficult decision to face his addiction and chooses to go to a rehabilitation program. Other progress indicators include: the number of men who get an identification card, a social security card, health insurance. Each of these steps brings a man closer to stability and housing. In the Hypothermia/Transition Program, between 70% and 75% of the participants achieve one or more of their goals, such as obtaining suitable housing, finding a job, completing a job training program or reuniting with family. In the Greg Gannon Food Pantry, we measure the number of people who visit our Pantry, and the variety of goods that they have available to them. We look for indicators that the community is strengthened, such as people forming relationships, shopping for a neighbor who is ill, helping each other carry groceries home. An indicator that we are making progress is when current members of the pantry recommend that others come to us for groceries.

Service accomplishments for fiscal 2019 were outstanding. The Greg Gannon Food Pantry served nearly 600 different families over the course of the year. The pantry serves 12 – 17 families daily or approximately 235 different families each month. Families made 3,792 visits to the pantry, and each bag of groceries they received cost about $70 retail. Thus, the Greg Gannon Food Pantry provided over $265,000 worth of food to our community and impacted approximately 50,000 meals. We have seen a 6% increase in visits to our food pantry since 2017. We are very proud of our service accomplishments for fiscal 2019. The Greg Gannon Food Pantry served nearly 600 different families over the course of the year. The pantry serves 12 – 17 families daily or approximately 235 different families each month. Families made 3,792 visits to the pantry, and each bag of groceries they received cost about $70 retail. Thus, the Greg Gannon Food Pantry provided over $265,000 worth of food to our community and impacted approximately 50,000 meals. We have seen a 6% increase in visits to our food pantry since 2017. The Day Program for Men Experiencing Homelessness has seen a steady increase in participation and programs over the past five years. Each day 50 - 70 men came to the Center each day in fiscal 2019 for one or more of the many services provided. Over the course of the year 1,283 unique individuals made 15,546 visits to The Father McKenna Center. We served over 13,000 meals to these guests. On average 14 men were able to take a shower each day for a total of 3,418 showers. Our laundry services washed on average 77 loads of laundry each month, for over 990 loads of laundry in the year. Case management is the most important work done in this program. The case management team held over 2,000 consultation over the 2019 fiscal year. This includes 379 intake consultations for men who are new to our program. The case manages made over 1,200 referrals, including 172 referrals for mental health or addictions rehabilitation services. IDs were obtained by 54 of our guests giving them access to additional services in the District of Columbia. Additional support for men who face homelessness is provided in our daily support group meetings, bi-monthly Peace Building Assemblies, Restorative Justice Circles, Spirituality/Faith Sharing group and weekly Peace Circles. On a regular basis the Director of Services facilitates a Recidivism Prevention Workshop. The Hypothermia/Transition Program is designed to support men who have successfully worked the Better Life Pyramid program and are nearly ready to transition to a life that is independent and stable. In fiscal 2019 24 men participated in the program and 18 of them (75%) reached one or more of their goals. This is an outstanding result for this population.