Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
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Never Miss a Chance to Do the Most Good
Please enter your name, email and zip code below to sign up!
Pathway of Hope
The Pathway of Hope provides targeted services to families striving to break free of intergenerational poverty.
Enroll TodayWhat is Pathway of Hope?
The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope initiative provides individualized services to families with children who desire to take action to break the cycle of crisis and vulnerability that repeats generation after generation. It seeks to address the root causes of poverty in addition to The Army’s history of compassionate serving. By helping families overcome challenges like unemployment, unstable housing, and lack of education, we can lead families down a path toward increased stability and, ultimately, self-sufficiency.
Every child deserves a childhood
We open our arms and our hearts to give families the support they need to grow together and thrive.
The Salvation Army’s Pathway of Hope initiative marks a pivotal shift from treating the symptoms of poverty to preventing the epidemic at its root. By helping families overcome barriers like unemployment, unstable housing, and lack of education, we can break the cycle of crisis and vulnerability, leading families down a path toward increased stability – a Pathway of Hope that will profoundly affect generations to come.
Among the world’s 35 wealthiest countries, the United States has the second-highest child poverty rate. And children who live in poverty for half their lives are 32 times more likely to remain in poverty. Which means the epidemic is passed down from one generation to the next, over and over again. The cost to those families who are trapped in the cycle of poverty is staggering, but we must also consider that the effects of child poverty cost our country nearly $500 billion per year.
This program is available at every Salvation Army Service Center. There are no income requirements to join the program. Each family is assigned a case manager who partners with them to set and accomplish goals. When you join the program, you’ll receive personalized support that fits your needs. Every goal that’s accomplished moves your family one step closer to a brighter future. Fill out a program interest form to be contacted about receiving help.
Ramona, a single mother living in East St. Louis, found herself living in a shelter with two of her five children.
“I was a mess. Nothing had went right for me and I just felt like the entire world was against me,” she said. “I was depressed. I thought I was on my own.” And then Ramona met Arvetta, a Pathway of Hope caseworker at the East St. Louis Corps. The two talked intensely about what goals Ramona wanted to accomplish and then they put a plan together. “From the beginning she was a friend. She wasn’t just hearing what I was saying, she was listening. I could tell she genuinely cared about me and my kids,” Ramona said.
“The great thing about Ramona is that she wanted to change. She had goals, she just needed some help with the steps to get there,” Arvetta said. After developing a relationship and building a plan together, Arvetta assisted Ramona with finding and maintaining a job, securing housing and a car. Ramona’s next steps are to go back to school and become a registered nurse.
“The support of Pathway of Hope has led me to who I am today: a woman with a bright future and a smile on her face.”
Approximately 1 in 6 Americans live in poverty, putting American poverty level at an all-time high.
We double the impact
Pathway of Hope is rooted in the case management approach. Rather than looking at problems, the Strengths Model focuses on possibilities and develops strengths. The Salvation Army will continue to serve all those that come to us in need, but the Pathway of Hope allows us to double our impact.
A single father of three young boys came for help
Darren dedicated his life to making himself available to his children and raising them on his own.
“Right now I want to work. I want to find some sort of employment during the daytime so I can be home at night with my children. I have no choice but to make it. I couldn’t die today and be happy because I haven’t paved the way for my children yet."