Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington

In 2019, SMGW is working to serve more than 1,600 total persons across all five locations.

* Employment:
o Teach/train directly or indirectly 210+ participants
o Assist 275+ in seeking employment and applying for jobs
o Assist 300+ participants in obtaining or improving their employment
o Provide STRIVE job-readiness training of one day or more to 200+ participants
* Housing: 200 participants will obtain or improve housing or shelter
* Other Key Goals:
o 180 persons will be dressed through our Career Gear at multiple locations
o 75 persons living with HIV/AIDs or their families will receive tailored support and coaching.

Organizationally we seek to:
* Increase the impact of the STRIVE training course. Our most significant program goal now is to increase impact of our STRIVE job readiness training, specifically by increased strategic on-the-ground recruitment to those in underserved areas who will benefit most from the training. While delayed, with the help of restricted funding from the Global Good Fund, we finally hired a Community Outreach Specialist in August 2018 to serve as point person for our outreach strategy.
* Expanding Sites. As part of our broader objective to expand sites, we plan to add at least one additional site in 2019. In addition, once we begin to realize our higher STRIVE targets on a sustained basis, we plan to offer the STRIVE training in one additional location, we hope in 2019. We expect this will both diversity and increase our impact.
* Expanding funding support of all kinds for the STRIVE training component. As we have reported, we are pleased to have been awarded for 2018 -19 a Global Good Fund/Diana Davis Spencer Fellowship for workforce development, which targets our entrepreneurial effort to recruit significantly more potential participants than we have seen previously. In addition to in-kind coaching and mentoring for our Executive Director, this Fellowship also brought $20,000 in restricted support for strategic outreach and engagement of potential STRIVE course participants.

These strategies are taken from our “Strategic Vision & Plan: 2016 – 2020", which was adopted by the Board of Directors in October 2015.
1) To develop and expand the Next Step Program so everyone who is homeless, unemployed, or otherwise in need has access to the program.
2) To develop the Next Step Services to include the housing first model.
3) To build the partnership so the considerable resources of the faith-based community can be mobilized and deployed in service to our neighbors in need.
4) To streamline the governing structure of the organization so it is more responsive to the needs of both the participants and the partnership.
5) To mobilize the financial resources necessary to serve the participants, mobilize the partnership for service, and collaborate with other service providers in a joint effort to eliminated homelessness in Greater Washington.

1) Samaritan Ministry has more than 32 years of experience working with and among men and women struggling with homelessness, unemployment, and other needs.

2) Samaritan Ministry developed the Next Step Program - a unique approach to relational casework born out of strong core values, a personal and practical approach to change, and the tenacity of commitment. This program is available through three core offices in the Greater Washington Area and three satellite sites.

3) Samaritan Ministry has almost 60 partner parishes and schools that are committed to supporting this ministry with their financial gifts, volunteering, and prayers.

4) Samaritan Ministry has a growing network of donors, foundations, and corporations that fuel this ministry.

5) Samaritan Ministry enjoys the respect of the service providers in Greater Washington.

SMGW works with participants, not clients, as each person is actively engaged in setting their own goals and taking their own next steps. In 2018 SMGW served 1,482 individuals, including 961 Next Step Program participants across all locations. More than 425 of the Next Step Program participants joined the program this year. Participants set 1006 goals and achieved 371 of them for an overall success rate of 37% (exceeding our target). Note: Participants do not always complete goals in the year in which they are met, as that depends on how long or short the due date is.

Participants set 1006 goals and achieved 371 of them for an overall success rate of 37% (exceeding our target). Note: Participants do not always complete goals in the year in which they are met, as that depends on how long or short the due date is.
Following is more detailed information on participants goals, status and activities:
* Employment: 524 employment goals were set with 145 having been met, for a 28% success rate.
o 303 participants obtained or improved employment, which meets our target of 300.
o Assisted 518 participants (double our target 230 number) in pursuing employment and applying for jobs.
o 360 participants completed resumes or increased job-search skills, over our 260 target.
o 160 individuals attended STRIVE job readiness training one day or more.
o 45 individuals graduated from the STRIVE training, versus the target of 100 – this is explainable given the space and time limitations imposed on us at the Skyland Workforce Center, which allowed us to run 6 courses vs. the 9 -10 planned for 2019.

* Housing: participants set 143 goals with 85 having been met, our target was 200. (We had hoped to have more impact here, however our focus was more on employment though our strategic plan calls for increasing focus on both housing and employment over time.)
* Education & Training: 227 participants set 248 goals with 116 having been met for a success rate of 47%.
o 93 participants were referred to partner classes or enrolled in educational activities or classes at SMGW (Pre-GED, financial, health, computer literacy, etc.). Note that this is more than double our target for the year, with one quarter to go.
* Support for Persons Living with HIV or AIDS: 63 individual or families received HIV/AIDS support, which is somewhat less than our target of 75 due to more limited outreach for Burial Assistance than we had planned, a funding issue that has been addressed as we start 2019.
* Material Support
o 124 participants received professional or other clothing
* Other
o Volunteers: 158 volunteers contributed 4,435 hours of service to date in 2018.