Purpose/Mission Statement
Transitional Housing Ministry (THM) helps to provide short term shelter and support for homeless families, referred by Bridge Communities, in a caring and nonjudgmental manner as they work toward independence and self-sufficiency.
Volunteer opportunities
Family Mentors are people who provide support for the guest family in order to help them work towards indepencence. There are 3 mentors assigned to a family. Each Mentor must be committed to meeting once every two weeks. Core Committee is a group comprised of all the Mentors and other people who help the THM, without working directly with the family. They meet once a month to discuss specific topics relative to the guest family and administrative ministry concerns such as childcare, transportation, fund raising, letter writing, and apartment cleaning.
Qualifications
For many families in DuPage County, homelessness means living a nightmare of desperation, day and night. When housing is uncertain, everything else becomes unstable. Transitional Housing provides housing and supportive services to help homeless families reshape their lives with dignity. The Mentor is never alone. Bridge Communities provides support staff to Resurrection THM. They provide an invaluable resource to draw upon in helping with multiple issues involving the guest family. THM is a very rewarding ministry to be part of because we are helping a homeless family directly by our program and actions.
Level of Commitment
The Mentors must attend training sessions provided by Bridge Communities. The Mentors learn basic skills such as listening, budgeting, providing nonjudgmental support and how to use resource agencies to help the guest family attain education and training. Mentors are expected to commit 2-3 nights a month to working with the family. The Core Committee is expected to attend 1 meeting a month.
For more information, please call Jane Malak at (630) 837-8304 or sjmalak@comcast.net.