Hello Friends of Hosea,
When sharing about Hosea Youth Services, we are frequently asked about our “success rate.” While we certainly desire to see young people move forward in pursuit of a healthier and more purposeful life, keeping track of forward progress is very challenging and defining success in our work is tricky.
Before sharing more thoughts about this, here are some solid statistics from our work so far this calendar year.
Yes, it has been a busy year at our Resource Center!
It is our desire to begin tracking the many additional services we provide, along with metrics which tell us how effective our work is. Some of these services include assistance like providing ID, providing phones, providing sleeping bags, providing gift cards, etc. (I don’t think there’s any way we can track the number of different clothing items we provide.)
Some of the metrics we want to keep track of include jobs which have been secured, counseling and addiction recovery which have been entered into, classes that have been attended and housing which has been secured. Beginning to keep track of these types of benchmarks will be a primary focus of our new Guest Advocate, Chelsea. We hope that as we track some of these additional steps, we’ll be able to better evaluate ourselves, as well as communicate to our community and financial partners that we are impacting lives, making a difference and worthy of support.
At the same time, the reality is that many of the young people we serve (ages 16-24) will never break out of the homeless lifestyle. Their trauma is too deep, their addiction is too strong and their mental illness will keep them from moving forward. So, while we may never be able to show success in their journey, we will feel successful in providing a safe space, love and compassion, and many important physical services.
As a Christian faith-based organization, we find great comfort and inspiration from the words of Jesus found in Matthew 25: 31 – 40. Jesus clearly states that as we serve the poor, the stranger, the sick and those in prison, we are directly serving Him. So, in this context, our service is successful as we serve, love and care for every single young person who walks through our doors!
Laura (assumed name) is a young woman who was very regular at our Center. She was struggling with addiction, an unhealthy relationship and life on the streets. Then she got pregnant. We connected her to Willamette Families, she got clean, delivered her baby, has remained sober and is in housing. She shared with me, “I couldn’t have done it without you guys”. This is truly a success story.
Greg (assumed name) has also been a very regular guest, but he struggles with significant mental health issues. He’s been in and out of shelter, in and out of jobs, and I doubt he’ll ever be able to take care of himself. But our service to him is also a success story.
As we are a privately funded organization, the success of our work is dependent on people like you, people who will partner with us financially, as well as volunteer, pray and donate items. Will you please consider doing what you can in serving our young homeless community? The need is great, the pain is real and the challenges are intense. With your support, we will stay faithful to loving, serving, encouraging and assisting, knowing that each and every day will bring more opportunities for success.
Thank you for your consideration!
Brad Bills
Executive Director
