Mission
Samaritan
Ministry of Greater Washington is a community partnership bringing
together homeless people and others in need in Greater Washington
with support and volunteers from Episcopal churches and other
churches in a joint effort to improve the lives of all. Samaritan
Ministry pursues this goal by:
- Promoting awareness of community needs,
- Fostering partnerships at all levels,
- Breaking down barriers imposed by poverty and
- Developing participant's abilities to help themselves to better lives.
SAMARITAN MINISTRY is a non-profit community organization with offices
in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia, dedicated to helping
the homeless or others in need help themselves to improve their
lives. We provide many opportunities for volunteers to participate
in this work. We are governed by a Board of Directors drawn from over 30
Episcopal churches in the D.C. metropolitan area called Partner Parishes. Samaritan Ministry operates independently from the churches and holds tax-exempt status.
THE Next
Step PROGRAM The Next Step Program is a
unique self-help program that promotes change, dignity and independence in
people who are in need. Samaritan Ministry caseworkers provide support in
the areas of social service and employment while program participants take
Next Steps toward their goals. A Next Step is a manageable task that is set by each program participant and documented by Samaritan Ministry. SERVICES OFFERED
As a participant moves toward his or
her goals, Samaritan Ministry provides a wide variety of support,
according to the individual's needs: Employment Services Resources Samaritan Ministry incorporated four programs from Episcopal
Caring Response to AIDS (ECRA) in November of 2000 in order to broaden our
service offerings to those individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Programs include: bereavement counseling,
support groups and burial assistance funds. THE SUCCESS
Every month, Samaritan Ministry helps
over 300 homeless or otherwise disadvantaged people to improve their
lives, most of them on an ongoing basis. On average, three of every four
Next Steps
are started and finished.
Each month 15 to 20 people find jobs with the help
of Samaritan Ministry. Many successful former participants
refer others to Samaritan Ministry or return to do volunteer
work.
FUNDING
The latest annual budget shows an income of $986,000
which almost a quarter comes from Partner Parishes
and more than a fifth from private individuals,
through direct gifts or the United Way and Combined
Federal Campaign. The balance of the funding comes
from grants, corporate gifts, and the annual fundraising
auction, which raises a full month's operating expenses.
The bulk of our funds - about 90 percent-
goes to our programs, including salaries for
caseworkers and financial assistance to participants.
The remainder of the budget covers administrative and
fundraising expenses.
Social Services
Program participants
set goals and Next Steps in areas such as:
Simultaneously, program
participants may work with a caseworker to:
Samaritan Ministry provides
resources to those program participants taking strides to obtain their
goals. Resources include but are not limited to:
Did You Know?
Samaritan Ministry Defines Its Core Values
In preparation for Samaritan Ministry’s 20th Anniversary, staff members, volunteers and the Board of Directors spent the preceding months thinking about what makes our organization strong and unique. From this process has emerged a set of Core Values. What are core values? Samaritan Ministry’s core values are those values which form the foundation on which we perform our work and by which we conduct ourselves. Samaritan Ministry has an entire universe of values, but some of them are so primary, so important to us that in spite of ever-changing conditions, these core values remain constant. These values underlie our work, how interact with each other, and which strategies we employ to fulfill our mission. The core values are the basic elements of how we go about our work. As Samaritan Ministry enters its third decade-balancing tradition, needs and innovation—our core values act as the touchstone for our efforts.
