Christamore House Inc

DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES ON THE NEAR WESTSIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS.

FAMILY SERVICES. CHRISTAMORE HOUSE UNDERSTANDS THAT MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD FAMILIES ARE CHALLENGED BY THE AFFECTS OF LIVING IN POVERTY AND NEARLY ALL ARE AT RISK OF BECOMING HOMELESS. TO MEET THEIR NEEDS, WE PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, AND PROVIDE EMERGENCY FOOD AND CLOTHING, INFANT SUPPIES, UTILITY ASSISTANCE, AND REFERRAL SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN NEED. WE WORK WITH DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES, HEALTH SERVICES, AND MANY OTHERS. IN ADDITION, WE PROVIDE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DIRECT EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO THE FAMILIES SERVED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND. WE ALSO RECEIVE HOMELESS PREVENTION RAPID RE-HOUSING PROGRAM FUNDS, ALLOWING US TO WORK INTENSIVELY WITH CLIENTS AND LANDLORDS, AND MAKE SHORT-TERM HOUSING AND UTILITY PAYMENTS TO KEEP FAMILIES FROM BECOMING HOMELESS.

YOUTH SERVICES. CHRISTAMORE HOUSE PROVIDES SERVICES TO YOUTH THROUGH THE OPERATION OF A "TEENS" PROGRAM AND THE "Y.E.S. (YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICES)" PROGRAM. THE TEENS PROGRAM PROVIDE TUTORING, COLLEGE/CAREER EXPLORATION, JOB READINESS TRAINING, AND COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IN-SCHOOL YOUTH AGES 14-18. WE TEACH BASIC LIFE SKILLS LIKE CONFLICT RESOLUTION, TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND OTHER SKILLS TO HELP THEM RETAIN AND MAINTAIN GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT AND BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE CLASSROOM. EMPLOYMENT WORKSHOPS, MENTORING CLASSES, AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS ARE SOME OF THE CORE COMPONENTS OF THIS PROGRAM. THE Y.E.S. PROGRAM HELPS TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS AGES 17-25 WHO ARE NOT IN SCHOOL TO GAIN VALUABLE JOB SKILLS TRAINING. SECONDARY GOALS ARE TO HELP PARTICIPANTS CHART PATHS OF EDUCATION, POSITIVE DECISION MAKING, AND LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE EDUCATIONAL CERTIFICATION FOR LIFETIME CAREER SKILLS SUCH AS CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANTS, MEDICAL BILLING, AND REAL ESTATE LICENSURE. CURRICULUM LESSONS INCLUDE COMPLETING JOB APPLICATIONS, SKILLS ASSESSMENT, SELF-ESTEEM BUILDING, IDENTIFYING BARRIERS, GOAL SETTING, KEEPING A JOB, AND MOCK INTERVIEWS. THE PROGRAM UTILIZES THE COMPUTER LAB FOR INTERNET JOB RESEARCH AND NETWORKING WITH WORKONE AND WESTSIDE COMMUNITY MINISTRIES FOR JOB REFERRALS. THE YES PROGRAM IS FUNDED BY THE INDIANAPOLIS PRIVATE INDUSTRY COUNCIL/LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC., AND PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPANTS TO HELP THEM OVERCOME BARRIERS TO ACHIEVING THEIR GOALS. FOR EXAMPLE, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE FOR TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM INTERVIEWS AND WORK, INTERVIEW CLOTHING, AND TUITION ASSISTANCE.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SERVICES. THE BECKY SCHENCK EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER CURRENTLY SERVES APPROXIMATELY 20 CHILDREN AGES 3-5 MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FROM 7:00 A.M. TO 5:30 P.M. OUR STUDENT TO TEACHER RATION IS 10:1 AND WE UTILIZE TRAINED VOLUNTEERS TO GIVE EACH CHILD AS MUCH INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION AS POSSIBLE. THE ECEP CURRICULUM EMPHASIZES DEVELOPMENT IN SEVEN FOCUS AREAS, INCLUDING LANGUAGE, MATH/COGNITION, SCIENCE, MOTOR SKILLS, CREATIVE ARTS, INTERACTION WITH OTHERS, AND COMPUTERS. ADDITIONALLY, CHRISTAMORE HOUSE OPERATES AN AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM CALLED L.E.A.P. (LEARNING ENHANCES ATTITUDE AND PERSERVERANCE), WHICH IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE CHILDREN AGES 5-13 WITH A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE TO LEARN DURING AFTER-SCHOOL HOURS OF 3:00-6:00 P.M. AND ALL DAY DURING THE SUMMER. THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF THE PROGRAMS ARE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN, INCREASE MATH AND READING SKILLS, IMPROVE SOCIAL SKILLS THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES, IMPROVE NUTRITION LEVELS BY PROVIDING DAILY NUTRITIOUS SNACKS AND MEALS, EXPOSE CHILDREN TO MUSIC AND NURTURE THEIR MUSICAL TALENTS, ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG CHILDREN WHO HAVE THE SKILLS TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS THAT POSITIVELY AFFECT THEIR OWN LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THOSE AREOUND THEM, AND EXPOSE CHILDREN TO COMPUTERS.