Beside Still Waters: How to Receive Services

Our Mission: Led by our Good Shepherd, we seek to provide single parent families with the tools, skills and support they need to move forward to secure and full lives. (John 10:10)

Intake: The prospective single parent family undergoes a series of interviews to determine if the family meets program criteria. Churches, word-of-mouth and community agencies identify and refer families.

Criteria for Program Participation:

· A single parent who is in custody of his/her child/children is in need of assistance to be able to provide a secure, financially sustainable and healthy home environment for their child/ children. A financial need would be a part of these criteria. Their will likely be other needs as well.

· This parent is willing to participate in parenting training, counseling, and ongoing case management and agrees to abide by the rules for being enrolled in the program.

· The parent is able to provide transportation or is able to use public or other transportation independently. (It is preferred and may be necessary that the parent have a working vehicle and a driver’s license.) This may be evaluated on a case by case basis.

· The parent is employed or has some income to enable them to begin to participate in a budget-planning program as well as to pay some minimum rental fees that will gradually increase as the program year continues until a normal rental fee is being paid.

· The parent has no record of child abuse.

· The parent undergoes and passes with satisfactory results a background check.

· Children will be enrolled in school or appropriate childcare when required. (Paid childcare is not provided as a regular part of this program. However, parents would be assisted in finding appropriate child care alternatives where that is needed.)

· There is a reasonable possibility that this parent will be able to complete program residency and become self sufficient within one to two years of program work and assistance.

The setting:

· Our program provides a suitable and safe home for our participating family. We pay the rent and utilities through ministry funding.

· All services are provided via local agencies, Still Waters Staff and volunteers. Still Waters coordinates these services to enable families to receive them.

· Financial and Spiritual counseling as well as case management visits happen in the home setting as well as in church or other corporate settings.

· Trained therapy is provided by licensed local Counseling centers such as Insight Counseling.

Program Management and Accountability:

· This ministry operates as a Christian ministry of the Murfreesboro Presbytery.

· Money to finance the program comes from individual donors and from funding from the Murfreesboro Presbytery via the Board of Mission (BOM).

· Utilities and lease agreements are made directly with Still Waters Family Ministries, Inc.