• Mission Statement
• CP Thumbnail Sketch
• Statistics & Outcomes
• Population and Number of People Served
• Facilities
• Funding
• Faith-based Model
• Founder and Executive Director
• Board of Directors

Mission Statement

The Carpenter's Place provides the tools necessary for rebuilding the lives of the homeless. Inspired by Christ's compassion, Carpenter's Place offers direction with accountability to people with broken lives, helping them find peace with God, themselves, and their communities.

CP Thumbnail Sketch

The Carpenter's Place (CP) has become recognized and respected as an innovative and aggressive leader in development of efficient and effective methods for reaching and addressing the core life issues of the chronically homeless. Responding to local and national frustration over how to effectively rebuild broken lives in a lasting manner, CP has invested heavily for over seven years to conceive, implement, evaluate, and refine a unique blend of programming elements. Recovering from chronic homelessness requires overcoming multiple barriers that often keep an individual trapped in a downward spiraling lifestyle . . . one that robs them, and consequently their families and community, of realizing their full potential. Recovering from chronic homelessness is no small task.

Rebuilding a life requires more than finding a job and a place to live. Addictions, mental illness and negative relationships often play a role in the vast majority of people who live on the street. To be truly successful in impacting the lives of people who are homeless, these issues must be addressed before any real change can occur. CP recognizes the necessity of supporting basic, practical needs while encouraging personal growth and change.  Our approach is one of compassion with accountability.

Serving the homeless, addicted, mentally ill or otherwise severely distressed 'street' populations, CP brings together the most appropriate opportunities for genuine, reconstructive help, not just handouts. As a central 'home base' for individuals looking to rebuild their lives; CP is a place of hope, help, and healing that offers a non-threatening, safe, daytime, drop-in center with a home-like atmosphere. Basic necessities like shower facilities, storage of belongings, a mailing address, phone calls, and laundry service are available. For those in Case Management, CP staff works with each Guest to develop a personal Life Recovery Plan that addresses key areas of life and maps a direction to a brighter future. An array of support and education groups, voluntary spiritual support, and linkage within as well as outside of the local community are also offered and coordinated.

Communities often possess several wonderful services for the areas homeless including shelters, food pantries, and soup kitchens. But usually, after a specific service is obtained, the individual is back on the street, enveloped in all of its negative forces. The missing piece was a controlled and safe daytime center that coordinated all these resources on a personalized basis and to develop a comprehensive Life Recovery Plan that takes into consideration all areas of life. This is the function of the CP Model.

Statistics & Outcomes

The Carpenter's Place has developed a comprehensive database to collect guest information, manage Guest Life Recovery Plans (including goals, action steps, referrals, advocacy, and appointments), and facilitate linkage with other service providers. Outcome data compiled for the one-year period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 document some of the ways that CP has made a difference:

• 321 Guests transitioned to stable housing - apartments, supported or transitional housing
• 114 Guests obtained employment; 89 full-time
• 226 Guests secured identification card or drivers license
• 99 Guests completed job development training

In coordination with other community agencies:

• 75 Guests were seen by Crusader Staff at CP
• 92 Guests obtained mental health screenings or assessments
• 96 Guests received mental health treatment, counseling and medication

During the same time period, CP provided some very basic and practical life services that many of us take for granted. For example:

• 25,153 meals were served (breakfast and lunch)
• 8,545 calls made by Guests in Dayroom
• 5,272 bus tokens were distributed
• 1,925 showers were taken
• 1,637 loads of laundry were done
• 1,386 unduplicated Guests received Case Management

Population Served

Our target population is what is often referred to as the chronically homeless 'street' population. They are the homeless, addicted, mentally ill or otherwise severely distressed individuals of the community that we refer to as our 'Guests'.

Some of our Guests stay the night at local overnight shelters. Some are staying in many of the little known 'camps' that are scattered along the railroad tracks, under bridges and in the various wooded areas of the community. Some continually migrate from house to house staying with friends or family until the welcome wears off. Some stay in cars, garages, parking ramps, open doorways, abandoned buildings, or wherever they happen to fall on that particular night.

Almost all suffer from a mental illness, substance abuse or both. Some suffer from learning, emotional or developmental disabilities. Some are caught in a cycle of 'self medicating' with alcohol and/or drugs. Almost all are in a state of current life trauma; almost all are at imminent risk of further serious harm to themselves or others.

Our Guests have few places that will welcome them in and treat them with respect and dignity. They have often 'burned their bridges' many times over with family, friends and the general public. We desire to be a safe place where they can come to get off of the circuit of the street; a place where they can receive assistance to clear the fog that currently envelopes their thinking; a place to develop a plan to get off the treadmill of self-destruction. For some the fall has been for only a short time and they can be elevated rather quickly. For others the pattern of abuse and self destruction has been there for practically their entire lifetime and progress will often take a slow and varied course with multiple starts, set backs and re-starts.

Number of People Served

On opening day of June 14, 2000 we served 8 Guests. The population has steadily increased.  Today an average of 97 guests per day make use of Carpenter's Place dayroom.

Facilities

Main Program Facility:  Carpenter's Place occupies the entire second floor of an 1870's building consisting of 12,000 square feet. The area is divided into lobby, day room, multipurpose room, offices, arts and crafts room, storage, and various meeting rooms.  The basement is used for storage of donated furniture and household items that are given to the homeless when housing is secured for them.

Transitional Housing:  Carpenter's Place operates a 12 unit apartment building that houses its Transitional Housing Program.  Each unit houses two men.   Housing with full supportive services can be provided for up to 24 months while residents work on life issues that will lead to their independence.

Permanent Housing:  Carpenter's Place provides Permanent Supported Housing for the Chronically Homeless by making available a mixture of open market housing units consisting of 12 one-bedroom units that are utilized as Permanent Supportive Housing for Chronically Homeless males and females.

Veteran's Housing Program:  Through a special Veteran’s Administration program, CP was able to purchase a three-bedroom brick ranch in a northwest Rockford neighborhood to house three honorably discharged homeless veterans.  Additional funding for this program was received through overwhelming support of local organizations and area residents.  Each veteran can live at this transitional residence for up to two-years affording them a stable environment to rebuild their lives!

Employment Housing Program:  Carpenter's Place provides housing to homeless men that are recently employed or have finished the CP employment readiness program.  CP owns a home not too far from our main facility that can house six men and a resident manager. 

Funding

In June 2002, Linhowe Ministries, Inc. established Carpenter's Place through seed money from a private donation. Upon determining that CP is producing documentable positive outcomes, a comprehensive development plan was initiated. This plan seeks to create a diversified funding base through government, foundation and corporation grants, church giving, individual donors, major gift donors, planned giving, and event fundraising.

Faith-based Model

Carpenter's Place is a faith-based organization that is extremely practical in its approach. We recognize the importance of faith and the spiritual component of mankind, as evidenced by our mission statement:

"Carpenter's Place provides the tools necessary for rebuilding the lives of the homeless. Inspired by Christ's compassion, Carpenter's Place offers direction with accountability to people with broken lives, helping them find peace with God, themselves, and their communities."

Through out history, and in our daily work at Carpenter's Place, we see men and women who believe in the existence of God yet struggle to know and understand their individual relationship to and connection with God. We also see the settling effect of a person who is at peace with God. Faith is a great healer and stabilizer, as well as the greatest source of moral and ethical direction in life. Helping a person attain peace with God can greatly assist in the stabilization process for other areas of life as well.

By definition, a faith-based or faith-centered organization must have a faith that it espouses. We strive to uncomplicate the way to peace with God and as such, our faith statement is relatively simple:

God: Jesus has opened the way, and shown the way, to attain peace with God. He is our ultimate example of compassion and teacher in matters of faith.

The Bible: The collection of writings commonly known as The Bible is utilized as our instruction manual for matters of faith and healthy living.

Organizationally, we leave matters of denominational or doctrinal detail to each individual's own interpretation and understanding.

Co-Founders

Allan Barsema

Senior Research Associate

Center for Governmental Studies

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb, IL 60115

815-753-0918
abarsema@niu.edu

 

Cathy Barsema

Director of Guest Services

Carpenter's Place
1149 Railroad Ave
Rockford , IL 61104
815-964-4105  Ext. 202
CathyB@carpentersplace.org

Executive Director

Kay Larrick

Executive Director
Carpenter's Place
1149 Railroad Ave
Rockford , IL 61104
815-964-4105  Ext. 211
KayL@carpentersplace.org