More continuity in Broadway's help for homeless expected from United Way grant
SOUTH BEND — Thanks to a local $25,000 grant, Broadway Christian Parish will hire a part-time social work student to provide more continuity in the church's ministry to provide one-on-one assistance to the homeless.
The grant will also help to pay for bus passes and birth certificates.
Broadway, which is a United Methodist church at 1412 Carroll St. on the city's southeast side, runs a hospitality ministry for the homeless with breakfast four days a week. Visitors can use an on-site food pantry, clothing pantry, laundry and shower facilities, mail, and health checks.
They also get one-on-one help on specific problems from volunteers, many of whom are social work interns from Indiana University South Bend and Ivy Tech Community College, according to a press release from Broadway.
But the issue is that, once the interns' semester is over, they leave, and connections with the homeless have to be rebuilt, according to the press release. The United Way of St. Joseph County's Community Impact Committee awarded the grant to hire a part-time social work student.
'We try to respect the dignity of everyone who comes through our doors,' Joann Phillips, professor of social work at IUSB, who directs the students' work at Broadway, said. 'We believe that the success of our mission relies on forging personal connections with those we serve — we call it the 'Broadway Touch.''
Broadway hopes to replicate that 'Touch' on a broader scale.
'For this to work,' Phillips said, 'staff stability is important.'
South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Broadway Christian Parish wins United Way grant to help homeless
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