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Our Guiding Belief
We believe that all of God’s children are precious, valued, and limitless in their potential. We recognize that we all need a guiding hand from time to time, allowing us the dignity to become the very best versions of ourselves.
We welcome the chance to work with individuals who strive to become all that they were born to be, by offering support, guidance, and the chance to thrive.
The Life Skills Program
The Life Skills Program focuses on coaching and encouraging participants towards financial, practical, emotional and relational health, providing useful tools and instruction to empower residents.
The Youth Program
The Youth Program empowers our younger residents by mentoring them in areas of money management, nutritional education, social skills and personal health using an established curriculum and proven relationship building methods.
Mentorship
The Mentoring Program is designed to provide a source of encouragement by coming alongside and navigating day-to-day life challenges, offering and modeling authentic relationship and friendship, and communicating value and worth in order to help individuals reach their full potential.
Six Steps to Self Sufficiency
The "Six Steps to Self-Sufficiency" program at Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia is designed to empower our participants to build independent and stable lives.
For those who enter our program, our shelter and six transitional homes provide immediate stability and care for life’s essential needs, offering a safe place to rest and realign.
To enter our program, you must successfully pass a background check and a drug test, as well as maintain a strong willingness to embrace a program that has been successful for more than 75% of our participants.
We want positive, long-term, life-changing results for each person who chooses to partner with us to make their future brighter. Our shelter and transitional housing program is coupled with our Six-Step Self Sufficiency.
This program utilizes goal setting and personal accountability as it educates our participants to find and maintain permanent housing by addressing the circumstances that initially caused homelessness.
Step 1: Emergency Needs
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Emergency Services program provides immediate assistance to those facing the harsh realities of homelessness and crisis situations.
The first step in the program is to provide safe and secure housing and resources to address other necessities such as food and clothing.
This foundational support is crucial for paving the way toward stability and long-term self-sufficiency, ensuring no one has to face their darkest moments alone.
Step 2: Personal Development and Education
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Personal Development + Education program is a cornerstone of our commitment to fostering growth and empowerment among those we serve.
In conjunction with their case workers, participants develop a plan to end their homelessness. This includes an individualized, task-oriented plan for securing income, saving money, and re-integrating into the community.
The plan addresses potential barriers to progress and sets measurable objectives, including realistic budgetary goals.
Personal development also includes job training, parenting, hygiene, nutrition, and other basic practical life skills.
Step 3: Job Training and Development
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Job Training + Placement program is pivotal in equipping our participants with the skills and opportunities needed to enter and succeed in the workforce.
The Participant’s job skills are evaluated and areas of expertise or preference are noted. Guests review job placement programs and opportunities as well as explore additional training programs.
All guests are counseled on interview presence and job retention. Guests set goals for job searches each week and case managers keep them accountable as to how they are meeting their goals or how their goals may need to be adjusted.
Once they have successfully attained employment, guests begin putting money in an “escrow” account so they have savings when they reach the end of the program. Their savings will help with their first month’s rent and other needs as they move on to self-sufficiency.
Step 4: Housing Assistance
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Secure Housing Assistance program is dedicated to providing stable, safe, and affordable housing solutions for participants facing homelessness.
Once employment has been secured, guests focus on seeking permanent housing, setting goals for housing searches each week and following up on applications.
Case managers work with guests weekly to keep them accountable for their goals and to suggest further resources and referrals.
Guests will also become familiar with resources that will remain relevant to the individual or family even after housing has been secured. Budgeting skills continue to be developed.
Step 5: Secure Housing
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Secure Housing program puts participants back into the community on stable footing.
Many guests exit the program at this stage, securing transportation, banking services, childcare, or further advance employment, if possible, nearby their new place of residence.
Escrow is tabulated and given to guests upon their departure.
Those guests who have succeeded to this point (moving into housing with friends or transitional) are considered to have left the program at this stage.
Step 6: Self-Sufficiency
Good Shepherd recognizes that on the road to self-sufficiency, some needs must be met before others can even be addressed.
Physical, emotional, and intellectual needs as well as medical concerns, mental illness, or substance abuse, must be dealt with before any person can reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.
We work with community partners, houses of worship, local businesses, and allied organizations outside of our housing and Six Step Self-Sufficiency Program to address the deeper causes of homelessness.
Our services are available to support individuals navigating near homelessness outlining a path forward to achieve financial security. Our goal is to help everyone find housing stability, economic independence, and self-sufficiency.
Wrap-Around Services We Provide
Peer Mentorship
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Mentorship program uniquely connects current participants with mentors who are former participants themselves, having successfully navigated similar challenges.
This peer mentorship model deepens the impact of support, as mentors share not only guidance and encouragement but also their personal insights and strategies for overcoming adversity. By fostering these connections, the program empowers participants with relatable role models who understand their struggles firsthand, enhancing the learning and growth process.
This approach not only bolsters confidence and motivation but also strengthens the community fabric, emphasizing recovery and success through shared experiences and mutual achievements.
Shopper Voucher Program
Good Shepherd offers a unique Shopping Voucher Program in our thrift stores, aimed at fostering self-sufficiency and promoting a sense of agency among the homeless and near homeless in our community.
To qualify for the Shopping Voucher Program, we have designed collaborative efforts with local schools, houses of worship, businesses and community partners to bridge the gap between basic necessities and honoring each person’s right to make personal choices. This allows individuals to access essential items through personalized shopping experiences.
By providing them with the flexibility to choose items according to their preferences and needs, we aim to restore a sense of autonomy and dignity.
This program not only addresses immediate material needs but also promotes a sense of normalcy and choice, reinforcing the belief that everyone deserves the right to make decisions that align with their values and aspirations, as well as possessing unique strengths and gifts that can be shared with the world.
Transportation Assistance
Good Shepherd of Northern Virginia's Transportation Program is designed to overcome one of the most significant barriers faced by women striving to regain independence: mobility.
By providing funds for vehicle repairs, gas, and rideshare credits, this program ensures that women and their children can travel to job interviews, medical appointments, and other essential activities without the stress of transportation issues. Recognizing the pivotal role of reliable transportation in breaking the cycle of homelessness, this initiative enhances the participants' ability to pursue vital opportunities for stability and growth.
It's a critical step towards empowering women to rebuild their lives and achieve long-term self-sufficiency, contributing substantially to their overall well-being.
Our support programming goes beyond just the parent and integrates the entire family unit!
Success Stories
Good Shepherd is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I have been hired as an Assistant Director at a local school, bought my first car, and moved into an apartment of my own.
Karen J.
[Staying at Good Shepherd] I was able to accomplish saving money and focusing on my goals. Good Shepherd has helped me stay positive about my situation. I was able to go to my job with a sense of relief that I had a place to live and not in the car or at a hotel. I was able to change my whole outcome and view on life
Evelyn W.
I was able to clean up my credit report and save money with the escrow account. I met nice people in my roommates – very lovely ladies.
Sarah M.
Because of Good Shepherd I know that God is with me and ordering my steps. I think of my room at the shelter as my war room because I was able to cry out to God, to talk to God and to pray to God. God strengthened me because I waited on him, and I know that he will continue to do so.
Anonymous
All Videos
All Videos
Sophia: From Crisis to Career
Sarah: A Bridge to Stability
