Words from the ED - The Story Behind SJOM's Expansion

Earlier this Spring, Julianne Woodroof, BSW Intern from Trinity Christain College, had the opportunity to sit down with Israel Vargas, and get the story behind SJOM's extensive expansion that occurred in January 2010:

Can you talk about the events that led up to the expansion that added the women’s and emergency shelters?

Sure.  In October of ‘09, I sat down with (SJOM) management staff to talk about (current) program staff salaries and how it’s not up to par with the work that they were doing, as well as the fact that they’re only getting minimum wage, which is not livable. We put together (a) proposal for the (City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services –DFSS) and called the Deputy Commissioner to set up time to meet about salaries. We were asking for more money so we could pay staff the way they deserve.

So you were working with the board and the staff on this?

With the staff, and then in the last week of October we had meeting with (DFSS). I took a couple of staff with me, and was apprehensive because we didn’t think they would go for (our proposal). We presented our budget, gave the logic behind it – the City itself has a guideline for the living wage.

My argument to them was, ‘Why isn’t my staff wasn’t getting paid that?  So they told me ‘Israel we’re going to approve the proposal, but we need (you to do) something for us’. They told us they were in need of our agency to expand our services to serve women and children and manage an emergency shelter. They wanted us to take over an existing agency by January. So, they were going to allocate 80 beds for women & children, 130 beds for emergency shelter. I was impressed that they offered us that – but I said, ‘I gotta give it to the board, but we’ll move forward with it’.

What happened after that meeting? What changes happened with staff?

From (the) end of October to January I had to propose the expansion to the board, call a meeting to prepare (a new) budget based on the previous budget, and get all staff to come together under this movement.

I was also asked (by the DFSS) to take on the staff that were in the program already. We had to do a program development meeting to find out if they were up to par with how we were already doing things here with the men. Some staff salaries were changed, or re-titled to different positions based on skills.

(We) created a schedule for operations, and encouraged the landlord of the (new) site to do repairs for the women’s housing because it wasn’t livable. We determined that there were some staff (from the previous agency) that could be used over here (at Loomis) based on their skills. I had a volunteer who worked here for 6 months before (being hired as the) director of programs. This individual was involved in programs, policies, and procedures creation here and had previous experience with women and children.

What changed on January 1st?

By Jan 1st the board was on board and we took over 210 beds overall, with an increase in budget for operations of $545,000, along with the additional $36,000 from (the original) proposal (for the Loomis site).

(I) sent out a notice to the landlord to remove all stoves and microwaves (from the women’s site) to enhance the sanitary conditions of the place.

We had, in the month of December, we had a team building meeting for all staff to come together to start thinking about ourselves as one team under the flag of SJOM.

After Jan 1st we started to assess participants. How long had they been in the program, and why? What needed to be done to help them move on? Then we had a house meeting with a Q&A session so they could understand what we are, how we run our program. We started merging our services at the men’s (Loomis) location with the women’s so (the women) could work with the employment coordinator and (Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program). We started to merge services to compensate for the lack of services at the women’s site.

We looked into the redistribution of participants (at the women’s site, such that) when you first come in, there’s the common living area (that holds) 20 beds, where you stay for a short time before moving to an apartment.

We revamped the kitchen with regards to staff and meals – talked to Greater Chicago Food Depository about getting food reallocated for the women. Until March we had to send half of the food that the men got (at Loomis) to the (new site at Cermak). The emergency shelter used to accommodate 150 men each night with mattresses on the floor but we removed those and set the amount to 130 beds, 30 are cots, the rest are bunk beds, so it’s more respectable.

Now the emergency shelter has a full blown kitchen. (Before), a lot of the work that was done by the (previous) agency had been done by volunteers with a head cook – as we looked through the menu we determined that each population has different dietary needs so we looked for cooks with experience with large groups. We actually found participants among the men (at Loomis) who had these skills (and hired them), so now they have their own apartments and jobs.

How have things progressed through March and April?

We are really looking into our budget, knowing that it’s been a struggle maintaining these programs because the needs for women and children are more than for men. We’ve been able to determine that there are times when we don’t have enough resources to be as effective as we should be to help our participants in the way they deserve. 

We’ve also been collaborating with other agencies and volunteers to meet these needs and have been able to begin life skills classes with the women and a childcare program with the children.

We’ve been looking at a new site that will enhance the mental and emotional state of our participants, helping them to be more motivated. The overall environment will be much better and we’re in the plans of acquiring that site so we can provide those services. So, budget and moving the ladies has been the most impactful thing the past couple of months for us.

What are your goals for the summer?

First, we need to stabilize women at a new site. I've started looking at a new site for the emergency shelter to turn it into an interim housing program. I’m looking at locations in the Back of the Yards (neighborhood).

So, that means we’d have to get additional dollars in order to hire additional staff. The interim housing formula is one building, one case manager, 40 participants, two part-time cooks, 3 full-time program staff, 2 part-time program staff. We’re not in the business of warehousing people. Our goal is to create a chain of small capacity interim housing programs that this population needs and, at the same time, be part of the communities we’re serving. 

I’m working on grant to help fund (the process) to write a strategic plan – we’ll get technical assistance that will help write a new mission statement (that reflects our new programs and populations served).

At the same time, we’re still working with a consultant (to help us conduct a) market analysis on a social enterprise program to provide revenue (for the agency) and workforce opportunities for our participants.

Where do you see SJOM heading by December of this year?

(I’d like to see) the agency have a surplus of three months of salaries in the event that a foundation changes criteria and no longer funds us. Also, we will have a business plan for the social enterprise environment.

(I’d like) for the agency to stabilize itself as it relates to staff in order for us not to worry about that anymore.

By summer the (women’s site) should be stabilized and fully staffed – not concerned about money. (I would like) fiscal stability by December of this year.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I continue to have the same goal as the day I came in here, and that is to decrease the amount of people sleeping on the streets by providing them temporary residence and the case management to gain income and gain housing. It (continues to) be a big struggle because of the misconception that many people have, that interim housing or emergency shelters (are) a place that (no one) but people with serious issues hang out at – and that’s not the case.

I want to bring awareness to the community about the reality that the men and women and children that we house here are somebody’s family member, relative, colleague, or friend and they deserve the help to move forward in life just like anybody else.