Therapeutic Services

Many of the men who enter SJOM are under great amounts of stress.  Whether their current homelessness is accompanied by other challenges and struggles, or not, the anxieties that come from being without housing can be overwhelming for anyone.  SJOM is sensitive to this reality and offers programs and opportunities for the men that help them discover ways to cope with the stresses and fosters a sense of family among participants, building a great community of support.

Life Skills Training

    Facilitated by the supportive services staff in weekly sessions, participants examine their current situations and strategize ways to make significant life changes. Topics include self-esteem, communication skills, stress management, conflict resolutions, budget management, two sessions on employment, and two regarding housing. It is an opportune time for the men to engage in positive social interaction as they reflect and discuss amongst each other.  They are able to relate, advise one another on the issues they are dealing with, and share their stories and experiences.  Through all of it, they build camaradarie with each other,  find comfort that there are others dealing with the same struggles, and discover new ways to handle and improve their current situations.

Program Details

Participants are required to attend a session on every topic during the 120 days they are living at SJOM. A variety of topics will be offered, including, but not limited to, daily living, communication, housing and money management, self care, social relationships, work like, and coping strategies. The participants will be asked to take a ‘life skills’ assessment based off the Ansell Casey Life Skills Assessment supplement for Homeless populations to determine their areas of needs and strengths. An evaluation of the skills in specific contexts, considering individual levels of functioning, will help identify barriers and aid needed to be successful in learning and implementing the skills. Psycho-educational sessions lasting 60minutes each will be held, where they will participate and engage in lessons, individual and group activities, and reflective discussions. At the end of each session, participants will complete a session action plan related to the materials covered that day and they will set up weekly goals for themselves, with a time-line, which they will review and work on with their case manager.

Program and Session Specifications

Each participant will be required to sign up for a particular discussion weekly with their case managers. They will be informed of the topic and schedule for that week and all participants will be required to attend at least one session per week. At the end of each session, each participant will be asked to fill out a weekly Action Plan, which they will go over with their case manager on their next appointment.

Each session will last 60 minutes. Participants will be notified of the topics offered one week in advance. Participants will be given a time-line and sign-in sheet to keep track of different life skill sessions they have attended and still need to attend. Participants will also be able to propose topics to be discussed in a particular session in their sign-in sheets or during a class and the facilitator will prepare a discussion and presentation on the proposed topic.

During each session, the facilitator will open the floor to the participants and will given them the opportunity to discuss topics they have in mind. The facilitator will allocate fifteen minutes of each session to topics of relevance and interest to the participants before beginning the class scheduled for that day. These fifteen minutes will serve as a support service to the participants and will be guided by the facilitator. If participants feel that the topic brought up is something they would like more time on or more information on, the facilitator will schedule a session to discuss it in more depth.

After the fifteen minutes of discussion, the facilitator will move on to discuss the topic scheduled for that session. Each topic will be presented through a combination of power point presentations, activities and exercises relating to the topic, and group discussions. The participants are also encouraged to talk about Life Skills topics individually with the facilitator on a needs-base as well.

The goal is to give ownership to the participants of the topics discussed and allow SJOM participants to actively attend and engage in the life skills program and get the most benefits from it. Allowing participants to have some control over the content of this program will motivate them not only to participate, but to advocate for themselves and think critically about their lives and their strengths and needs. This program seeks to find topics of relevance and importance to the lives of its participants and will therefore base itself on their needs. The program will have a set structure and time-line but will be flexible enough to include schedule changes and incorporation of new topics recommended by its participants and/or facilitator.

This program is intended to help participants develop basic life skills that can be applied to independent living. It founds itself in the concept that functional impairment in basic life skills are an important barrier to overcome to be successful and attain stable housing. The content of this program will address participants' personal health, functioning, productivity in personal and vocational areas, and their ability to maintain social relationships. The program was developed with the idea to provide guidance and education on daily living aspects and tools to retain these skills after they move out of a transitional shelter life and become self-sufficient members of society.

This program reaches out to participants and requires them to analyze their lives in a way that will empower them and will equip them with the proper tools to integrate educational and practical components into their daily living. The skills taught in the Life Skills course, combined with individual case management, will present community living as an attainable goal. The abilities learned will allow participants to learn basic personal and interpersonal skills and proficiently manage employment and income in a way that they will be successful in finding and maintaining housing.

Movie Night
    Movies are shown at SJOM every Friday night.  Snacks are provided and the movies alternate between Spanish and English every other week.  Many of the men participate in this activity as it provides a time where they can enjoy themselves and it offers a balance to the stresses they encounter daily.  However, while it  is a fun and social activity for many, the men also benefit from the films as they resonate with experiences and issues from their own lives.

Alcoholics Anonymous
SJOM recently added AA classes on site to further assist program participants.  Men are welcome to participate in these weekly meetings offered in both Spanish and English.