St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center Creates ‘Family Learning Program’

April 21, 2015 - PRLog -- St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center (SVSF) announces a new “Family Learning Program” for homeless adult women and children staying at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), sponsored by Reading Works.

“The Family Learning Program is a pilot project that gives us a unique opportunity to extend our mission of providing personalized education programs to at-risk children and adults through a family-centric model.  We believe that by working with multiple generations simultaneously, it will help break the cycle of resistance to education faster,” says Diane Renaud, Executive Director/CEO of SVSF.

The programs are held at SVSF’s main campus in Northwest Detroit and are designed to build self-sufficiency skills for academic and employment success, personal achievement and dignity. Reading Works, which is dedicated to raising the level of adult literacy in metro Detroit, is funding the program.  “Detroit Rescue Mission contacted Reading Works for assistance with providing literacy programs to their residents and we immediately thought of SVSF,” says Paula Brown, Executive Director of Reading Works.  “The results of this pilot will help us determine the best way to reach multiple generations across the region.”

Poor reading skills continue to hold back Detroiters in alarming numbers from good jobs or even job-training programs. In fact, The National Institute for Literacy estimates 47 percent of adults in Detroit are functionally illiterate, which means they have trouble with reading, talking, writing and computational skills.

Educators have emphasized the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in recent years for obvious reasons as young people must be academically prepared to make their way in a world that relies more heavily on those subjects. However, being able to read is essential to any education or advancement. Adults need to improve reading skills now so they can fill the jobs that can be filled only by adults.

The DRMM will help by meeting the basic human needs of the women and children while motivating them to rebuild their lives – with the help of SVSF -- during their stay at DRMM’s Genesis House II campus that can last as long as two years.  "We place learning and skills development at the center of our methodical efforts to help over 1800 residents of our various facilities in Detroit and Highland Park rehabilitate their lives and chart a positively productive and self-reliant future for themselves. That's why we appreciate this family learning opportunity for residents of our Genesis II transitional housing facility," posits Dr. Chad Audi, DRMM President and CEO.

With the Family Learning Program, SVSF will provide children with personalized assistance in managing the increased difficulty of the common core standards in school.  The program will also help their mothers from DRMM to obtain their GED and the skills necessary to enter post-secondary education and training. This will enable them to increase their earning potential and become more economically self-sufficient and less dependent on public benefits. Such economic empowerment will increase their self-esteem and personal confidence.

Three preliminary phases have been identified for the study and later phases may include additional elements, such as in-home methods for family study periods.

St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center began in 1844 as St. Vincent’s Academy in Detroit, a kindergarten for orphaned children. The organization evolved through the years and moved to Farmington Hills, establishing an adoption/foster care residence for children. In 2006, when policies and the economy changed, the Center closed its residential doors, but wanted to continue to fulfill its mission of serving at-risk children and adults. Identifying the significant need, the Center returned to Detroit and its roots of education, and now provides free, personalized educational support for children and adults. These programs are designed to help build self-sufficiency skills for academic and employment success, personal achievement and dignity. Visit www.svsfcenter.org to learn more.

The Detroit Rescue Mission helps the homeless help themselves with services that include substance abuse treatment, transitional and permanent housing, job preparation and educational courses. Visit http://drmm.org/ to learn more.

Reading Works is dedicated to raising the level of adult literacy in metro Detroit and works with key literacy providers on achieving this goal.  This mission is based on the knowledge that reading at a minimum proficiency is necessary for achieving the sustainable work and life skills that will transform the future for individuals, their families and our region. Visit http://readingworksdetroit.org/ to learn more.