I am an abused wife who left unspeakable terror at home. I am homeless.
I am a steel mill worker. The mill shut down, and I couldn't find work for a long while after that. I am homeless.
I am a runaway girl. I left home because of family problems. Now I'm trying to cope on the streets. I am homeless.
ERROR MSGI have an 8 year degree in medicine. I had my own practice. Then it happened: I lost a malpractice suit, and my business went downhill, my wife divorced me, took the kids and the house. I have nothing left worth working for. I am homeless.
 Homelessness in America has no specific age group, race, religion, gender, or educational level. There are homeless people with high school diplomas and post doctorate degrees. There are young children and old men. Some have been forced out of home due to loss of work, fire, abuse, social or legal circumstance, gambling, natural disasters, and sometimes substance abuse.
ERROR MSGIt can strike anyone. Some people have what it takes to pull themselves out. They have drive, hope, desire. Temporary shelters can be a help to them. But not all homeless people are in this category. Some have deep set problems prohibiting them from moving on with their lives. These people all have one thing in common.
Arlandastad hotelesThey have lost hope. They find themselves in a bad situation, and without hope, they give up, and just wind up staying homeless.
Steps Up is dedicated to teaching the Social and Job skills necessary to re-instill the hope needed to further oneself. We have assembled a team of counsellors, instructors, and motivational speakers, as well as a tried and tested curriculum which is specifically designed to give self confidence, hope, and job and social skills necessary in order to cope in a normal society.
ERROR MSGWe put a major emphasis on self worth, self importance, and self improvement. We teach than anyone can better their lives and in so doing better society as a whole. Most of our clients have been homeless in excess of 6 months. Some for several years. They often have deep set emotional problems that can only be solved by a tough but caring approach, and exactly the right guidance based on their specific experiences and problems. Some can be helped in a matter of weeks or even months. It takes more than a week to heal a lifetime of pain. Steps Up spends a full year counselling, guiding, teaching, and helping these people, and monitor their progress and guide them for a full year after that.
However, all this comes at a great cost. A financial cost most people don't even fathom. Stop and think. Let's assume you could get a cheap lunch for $2.50 for the meal. To care for 100 people, 1 year, 3 meals a day, at cheap $2.50 meals. Put that together, and it takes over a quarter of a million dollars a year just to feed 100 program members while we are training them. Some of this money comes from government funding, but the majority is from commercial and private sector funding.
We need your help.
Donations help offset the cost immensely - and not just money! Volunteers, land, vehicles, equipment and supplies. We are constantly in need of clothing, toiletries, books ( we have a list ), building and office supplies....the list goes on and on.
If you are interested in helping, in any capacity, please contact us. We are a Federal and State recognized non profit organization.
stepsup@stepsup.org
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