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THE GOOD NEIGHBOR
PROGRAM
OBJECTIVE
The objective of The Good Neighbor Program is to provide a home and
place of support to any man needing assistance re-entering
society
as a productive, law abiding participant. The needs of the community we
serve will determine the type of program we administer at any given
time. A broad based referral network will be utilized to
refer
potential applicants. The program’s holistic approach seeks
to
minister to the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual
needs of each individual seeking to rebuild his broken life. The Good
Neighbor Program provides and develops an individualized support
network that is conducive to each resident recovering his dignity and
sense of self worth. In living a life of discipline, service,
fellowship, and through nurturing faith in Jesus Christ, we firmly
believe The Good Neighbor Program can be the vehicle to a changed life.
PHILOSOPHY
OF MINISTRY
The Good Neighbor Program is a Christ Centered Ministry that seeks to
minister to the specific needs of the individual. While meditation,
prayer, and Bible study are important parts of the program, each
individual’s beliefs are respected within a Christian
context. The ministry will seek to be a positive and strong
witness of Christ’s Love, Compassion, and His ability to
change
lives. We believe effective positive ministry is demonstrated more in
action than in words.
PROGRAM CONTRACT
Each guest in The Good Neighbor Program will have a Community Support
Team. They must read, agree to, and sign the program
description
and their responsibilities to it. A General Contract and a
Conditional Stay Contract will be developed for each resident. The
standard program contract is 6 months to one year.
LENGTH OF STAY
The limit on the length of an individual’s stay will be
decided
on an individual basis. Each resident of the Good Neighbor Program will
be expected to fulfill his care plan responsibilities and return as a
functioning, productive member of society in a timely manner. In the
interest of providing the best service to our client base, and as an
opportunity to measure progress within the program, evaluations will be
required every three months . The Good Neighbor Program is
designed to last 6 months to one year – with an additional 6
months to one year of community aftercare (see Aftercare
Program). We, as staff of The Good Neighbor Program, believe
every resident has the potential to gain the self-esteem needed to
become productive citizens and will help in every way possible to make
this a reality. Our care plans will be developed with the help of
Community Support Teams and the resident himself. From there
we
can seek help from the proper community action groups. Each resident
will be playing a significant role in a vital community program,
learning life skills, and leading a life of value to themselves and
others.
DAILY SCHEDULE (Mandatory)
6:30 A.M.
Wake-up
7:30 – 8:00 A.M. Morning Devotion
7:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Work (if
not working a
full time job, GN will put in volunteer service time to equal a total
work
week of 40 hours per week.)
4:30 P.M.
Monday, house meeting
5:00 P.M.
Monday and Friday: Bible Study
8:00 – 9:00
The hour of prayer (Evening
Devotion)
T.B.A.
Individualized counseling with Pauli once or more
each week
MEAL POLICY
Residents of The Good Neighbor Program will have dinner with guests of
the Shelter at 7:00 P.M. Residents may prepare breakfast and lunch from
the common refrigerator and freezer or personally buy their own
food. Each resident of The Good Neighbor Program
shall have
access and full use of the kitchen – to include:
Refrigerator/Freezer – Stove and Microwave as well as cabinet
space sufficient to insure all other residents have room.
Full
use of the kitchen is off limits to residents of The Good Neighbor
Program during Shelter operating hours – 7PM to 8AM. This is
to
allow for the shared use interaction of both programs.
Consideration to all must always be shown.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
1. Support the community.
Activities in this area include but are not restricted to:
• Snow shoveling for the elderly.
• Minor repairs for the elderly.
• Assisting needy persons in
moving.
3. The Community Service volunteer
requirement can be fulfilled by one of the following:
•
Volunteer coverage at the Shelter, Shelter upkeep, and other volunteer
work inside the shelter.
• Or
volunteer time commitment at another local social agency upon staff
approval.
AFTERCARE PROGRAM
The goal of the aftercare program is to insure a stable and safe
re-entry into society. Upon leaving the in-house portion of the Good
Neighbor Program each resident will hopefully have found a church home
with which they feel an emotional and spiritual attachment.
In
our aftercare program we will emphasize more involvement from the
Christian Community to maintain a church home, and a mentoring
environment, for each graduate of The Good Neighbor
Program. To accomplish this we will develop
Spiritual
Coaches to serve as facilitators for each Good Neighbor. This
will be a natural outgrowth of the Community Support Teams mentioned
earlier. In addition, we will solicit support from graduates
of
the Good Neighbor Program to serve as a “peer
mentor” for
each current Good Neighbor. They will function in the role of
a
sponsor, similar to an AA or NA sponsor.
The aftercare program will consist of the following activities:
• Attendance at one Monday or Friday
evening Bible study per week.
• Participation in the Good Neighbor mentor
program.
• Weekly check in with Good Neighbor staff
for informal counseling.
The aftercare program will last up to one year beyond
graduation.
It is hoped that the individual will continue to reach out to his peers
and become a regular volunteer at the Burlington Emergency Shelter.
A graduation ceremony will be planned for each person successfully
completing the in-house and aftercare programs.
Good Neighbor Program Application Form (PDF)
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Please
contact us to offer comments and join our mailing list.
Last updated August 19, 2008
Copyright 2005, The Burlington
Emergency Shelter
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