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September 2021 Meet Ra'Shann Martin For the third time in 35 years, St. John Center will welcome a new Executive Director. Ra'shann (Rae) Martin will join us on September 20th. She will fill the role held by Maria Price for the last 13 years. Maria's last day at St. John Center is September 30th. 
Rae brings a wealth of experience in community building, non-profit management, finance, and development. Rae is currently the Director of Operations for YouthBuild Louisville, where she has worked since 2016. In that role, she lead the organization's Youth Homelessness Demonstration project.
Rae is passionate about service to the community and about developing the potential of every human being. She is a Louisville native and holds a BA from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Louisville. "The Board is thrilled to appoint Rae Martin as our next Executive Director," says SJC Board Chair Anne-Britton Arnett. "Her servant leadership approach, combined with her energy, enthusiasm, and experience makes her the perfect person to lead us into the next chapter in our journey.”
Please join us in welcoming Rae Martin!
Give for Good 
Please plan to join us for Give for Good on September 17, 2021 by including St. John Center in your giving on that day! CARF Accreditation In August, St. John Center was awarded 3-year accreditation status from CARF. CARF International is an independent non-profit that reviewed 1,476 standards of care and administrative function at St. John Center. This is the highest accreditation status an organization can receive and is "an indication of your organization's dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served."
Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505. Thank You An outpouring of love inspired by the memory of Phil "Skip" Reinhart resulted in the largest Raisin' the Rent 2021 Virtual House Party, with 121 guests. Thank you! Welcome 
St. John Center is welcoming three new interns from the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work. Derek Renko is pictured above. Mykiah Jones and Andrew Pettyjohn are pictured below. 
All three are pursing their Master's in Social Work at the Kent School. Volunteer Coordinator, Shannon Frey, MSW, will be their site supervisor during their year of service to St. John Center. 
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August 2021 
What a year it has been. Between July 1, 2020 and June, 30 2021 St. John Center served more than 2,300 individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Even as libraries closed, lobbies became inaccessible, and the usual gathering places shuttered, our Day Shelter and Social Services Center remained open. In order to meet the social distancing guidelines, we reduced our capacity from 70 guests at a time to 24 guests at a time. Despite limited capacity, 1,832 people visited our Day Shelter and Social Services Center over 37,000 times. During that same time period our housing counseling staff coordinated 2,443 services to ensure that, even in a pandemic year, 273 people moved into permanent housing. This represents a 20% increase over the previous year.
Last year, our Street Outreach Team met with people living in encampments, under highways, and in parking lots in 31 Louisville zip codes. With their support, 74 individuals and families moved off the streets and into permanent housing.
In our Permanent Supportive Housing program, 92 formerly homeless men were able to be healthy at home. In fact, at the end of this fiscal year, 98% of them have been in the program for 12 months or longer.
Your support during the last year, when so much was uncertain and frightening, has been the foundation of all we do. Thank you!
Reflection and Gratitude On July 28th, the St. John Center staff gathered to review our work in the past fiscal year and prepare for the year ahead. 
Board Spotlight 
Tomas was born in Cuba and arrived in US on January, 1961. He moved to Louisville in June '72 where he has owned and managed various construction firms. He was named Ky Minority Contractor of year 1991, and also a top 500 Hispanic Business in US.
About 15 years ago, a staff member at SJC asked Tomas to help/assist with a Cuban American who was experiencing homelessness. Tomas has been involved ever since. A regular at our annual Raisin' the Rent, Tomas joined the board five years ago and helped guide the organization through our major expansion of the our building. From the Archives 
One of the joys of serving this community from an old church building is stumbling across historic artifacts -- like this ledger of church expenses from 1908!
Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
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July 2021 A Culture of Caring At St. John Center, our culture of care is built on continuous learning and the integration of new skills, research, and evidence-based practices. Our staff never stop growing and learning, and that means we bring more tools to the task of ending homelessness in our community. 
In the last year, Day Shelter Manager Cortney Foster and Housing Case Manager Laura Farkas-Bowser completed their Masters in Social Work course work at the Kent School of Social Work. Street Outreach team member Jamie Bush became a Certified Social Worker in the state of Kentucky. This past November, Employment Specialist Keesha Gardner and Safety and Services Manager Wright Gordon attended an intensive training to become certified to teach Crisis Prevention Institute de-escalation techniques. They have since trained all frontline staff in this approach.
In addition, five staff are completing Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor training. This state certification takes about two years and involves learning about different approaches to substance abuse treatment and the ways trauma and external factors affect substance abuse.
In July, the entire St. John Center staff will meet for a day-long evaluation of our work and an opportunity to prepare for the year ahead. The issues surrounding experiences of homelessness are complex, so we consciously adapt and challenge ourselves to learn and grow more. Thank you for all the ways you support the staff and guests of St. John Center.
New Hours After 35 years, St. John Center is changing its hours. We are now open from 8 AM - 4 PM Thursday through Tuesday and from 8 AM - 2 PM on Wednesdays.
Follow our Blog 
We're celebrating 35 years of services to this community all year long in our 35th Anniversary Blog. We're adding new stories about the people, organizations, and community that shaped us twice a month. Keep checking back to read more!
Board Spotlight 
While working on her Master's in Social Work, Danielle Wakaba began to research the homeless population in Louisville. When she visited St. John Center, she says, "Immediately I wanted to know how I could be of service." Danielle is a Waiver Evaluator with Seven Counties Services Inc. and serves as Secretary for the St. John Center Board of Directors. She and her two children have been active volunteers for several years. "I serve because I believe in the Mission and our clients have become my extended family," she says. From the Archives 
In the late 1980's, Dr. William Wuetcher started providing free dental services to St. John Center clients. He recruited other dentists, and eventually students from the U of L dental school, to care for the teeth of our guests. Dr. Wuetcher continued to volunteer for many years. His care and dedication were part of the foundation of St. John Center.
Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
Thank You We are grateful to the following for their grants supporting the services of SJC:
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June 2021 Leadership Changes for St. John Center 
After 13 years serving as St. John Center's Executive Director, Maria Price has announced that she is stepping down from her role on September 30th.
"We are a different agency now than we were when I began serving our mission in this capacity," Maria said. " St. John Center has a bright future with even more exciting potential and evolution ahead, and new leadership skills will serve us best." Maria began her time at St. John Center as a volunteer in 1995. In 2006, she joined the staff as the Development Director and assumed the role of Executive Director when the SJC's founding director, Sister Mary Kathleen Sheehan, retired in 2008.
During her time here, Maria oversaw the launch of the Permanent Supportive Housing Program and the development of the Street Outreach Team. The Day Shelter and Social Services Center has grown to include employment counseling as well as a housing counseling program that helped 141 people move from homelessness to permanent housing in the first 141 days of 2021. During her tenure, the staff has grown from 9 to 35 full and part time staff as programs have grown to meet community need.
The Board of Directors has opened the search for a new Executive Director with the hope of having a replacement identified before Maria leaves in late September. You can learn more about the position and qualifications here.
"It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to work with and for our clients, staff and volunteers," Maria said. St. John Center has deepened and enriched its work under Maria's leadership. She leaves an organization that is fully focused on meeting its mission to end homelessness for good. 
Legacy Society 
When you join the Sister Kathleen Legacy Society you become part of a powerfully compassionate group of people. By planning for a legacy gift from your estate, you ensure that St. John Center will provide a safe and affirming place for people who are homeless to seek help, find hope, and move home for as long as we are needed. Learn more about how to make a legacy gift by clicking on the link below.
Board Spotlight 
Susanne Binford is a licensed clinical social worker with the Veterans Administration. She has been involved with SJC for many years, and is completing her first year serving on the board. "SJC provides services in such a thoughtful way," Susanne says. "They are never afraid to try new things or consider different ways to provide good services. It is exciting to be a part of that. " From the Archives 
We've been sustained by this community since the day we opened in 1986. This photo shows part of the first donor ledger, recorded in Sister Kathleen's handwriting. Although we've updated our record-keeping technology in the last 35 years, the bottom line is still the same - we could not do it without YOU. Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505. Thank You 
An outpouring of love inspired by the memory of Phil "Skip" Reinhart resulted in the largest Virtual House Party, with 121 guests. Thank you! 
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May 2021 Every Day is A Good Day to Move Home 
Our favorite days at St. John Center are the days someone moves home. Between January 1 and April 22 of 2021, 105 guests of St. John Center moved into permanent housing of their own. That's because every day we connect our guests to jobs and landlords. We help them address old debts and obtain copies of their birth certificates and other identification. But more critically, we serve as a hub of connection with a wide network of support.
Some of the 105 met with the Legal Aid Society at St. John Center to file for social security income or to expunge old criminal records. Some met with the Veterans Administration to learn about special housing vouchers for people who have served in the US Military. Others met with the Continuum of Care’s Common Assessment Team to evaluate the need for housing with supportive services. Some reconnected with family. And many of the 100 people who moved into housing of their own did so because the Louisville Metro Housing Authority prioritized moving people off the streets during a pandemic by using Disaster Relief funding.
With this network of resources -- and with your support -- we are seeing more and more of our favorite days at St. John Center.
Stories of SJC All year, we'll be sharing stories of St. John Center on the 35th Anniversary Blog. In April, volunteer Alan Johnson shared memories from our opening year and Permanent Supportive Housing Case Manager Whit Stodghill shared a reflection about cooking with Genio. In May, we'll hear from former Associate Director Charlotte Hazas as she reflects on her time with Sister Mary Kathleen Sheehan, SCN, our founding director. Check out these stories and more at the link below. Board Spotlight 
Matt Berrian is a Director with BKD CPAs & Advisors and is finishing his sixth and final year on the Board of Directors. He was introduced to St. John Center through several friends in the homeless community he met during his time serving at Sojourn Community Church. He initially served on the Finance Committee and has served as Finance Chair, Governance Chair, and Chair of the Board of Directors in the last six years. Matt says he is grateful to have seen firsthand the growth of SJC, especially the building expansion and new services. Thank you for your leadership, Matt! Thank You We are grateful for the support from these organizations.
From the Archives 
This photograph from 1986 shows some of the progression of St. John Center's physical space. A few offices line the west wall. As SJC added employment and housing counseling, the office space expanded. When we opened, we offered a "clothes closet" on the east side of the building. Within a few years, the clothes closet shifted to the Schumann Center and the Health Clinic moved into that space. The choir loft was still open space in 1986. Today, the enclosed loft space houses the Permanent Supportive Housing team of five case managers, a peer support specialist, and the program's Manager, Sarah Buckler.
Hours Update On May 3, 2021 St. John Center returned to pre-pandemic hours of 7 AM - 3 PM. We are open every day of the week.
Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
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