The Root Cause of Homelessness
The real cause of homelessness for those without a disabling condition that qualifies for permanent supportive housing is rooted in a lack of a safety net. Ordinary people experience ordinary life crises, and without the necessary resources to overcome these challenges, they enter a downward spiral of loss — a spiral that ends with the loss of housing.
Background: Bridge Bread Bakery Provides the Foundation
Founders Sharon and Fred Domke established Bridge Bread to provide unhoused people with the dignity of earned wages, enabling them to overcome challenges and become housed. Over time, the program expanded to embrace restorative employment and provide a financial housing incentive. This program has been very successful and now even offers participants a path to economic mobility.
The Challenge: Why a New Entity is Needed
Despite Bridge Bread's strong structure, two specific challenges necessitate external support:
Clarifying the Mission: There is a need to manage the mixed message sent to Bakers. If Bridge Bread is a true social enterprise where wages are earned based on performance, providing unearned financial assistance can blur the line between a job and a charity.
Resource Capacity: As a viable social enterprise accountable to supporters, Bridge Bread cannot resolve every life challenge a Baker faces. In addition to assistance with the high cost of housing, extended needs—such as lengthy rehab, severe health crises, theft recovery, or ongoing psychological support—fall outside operational limits.
To maintain the dignity of earned work and avoid becoming an unsustainable source of "handouts," it became clear that comprehensive personal support should not compromise the integrity of the employment model. This necessity led to the creation of Advocates STL.
The Solution: Advocates STL
Advocates STL was founded to address these external obstacles by providing dedicated advocates who walk alongside participants on their journey to self-sufficiency. The organization fosters trust, dignity, and a sense of belonging by ensuring individuals have the personal, non-employment support needed to maintain stability.
Initially, the Advocates STL program will support Bridge Bread Bakery's employees. However, the long-term goal is to expand this support to include individuals recently employed by other social enterprises that offer restorative employment to people who are unhoused.
Operational Model and Volunteer Support
Advocates STL is designed for maximum donor impact as an entirely volunteer-run organization. It operates without an office or paid staff, ensuring every donated dollar supports program participants. The program initially focuses on the Bakers of Bridge Bread Bakery, with an estimated seven participants actively enrolled from a typical group of eight Bakers.
Recruitment and Training
Methodology: Advocates are recruited and trained based on the extensive experience of the Stephen Ministry model, ensuring compassionate service with strict confidentiality and clear boundaries.
Supervision: Volunteers undergo comprehensive initial training followed by mandatory ongoing peer-group supervision and in-service education at least once per month.
Engagement: Each Advocate connects with their assigned participant a minimum of once per week. Financial Requirements To provide essential stabilization resources, the existing Housing Incentive Program will transfer from Bridge Bread to Advocates STL.
Cost Breakdown
Housing Incentive (First Year): $5,175 is required for each new hire.
Housing Incentive (Ongoing): $3,600 per participant annually until economic mobility is achieved.
Emergency Assistance Fund: Approximately $1,200 per participant per year is needed to address urgent financial needs or life events threatening housing or employment.
Annual Funding Calculation
Based on seven program participants (including 3 new hires and 1 professional baker not included), the total funding needed per year is $38,325, allocated as follows:
3 new housing incentives at $5,175: $15,525
4 existing housing incentives at $3,600: $14,400
7 total participants (emergency assistance) at $1,200: $8,400
Total annual financial need: $38,325
Note: There is no budget for rent, utilities, office supplies, or staff.
Synergy and Strategic Focus
Restorative employment remains the cornerstone of overcoming homelessness. Moving the Housing Incentive Program to Advocates STL reduces Bridge Bread Bakery’s expenses by up to $30,000, but this represents only about 10% of the Bakery's total financial need. Ongoing support is critical to Bridge Bread Bakery’s success. Advocates STL cannot fulfill its mission without strong social enterprises like Bridge Bread Bakery. Therefore, it is vital to maintain and increase the Bakery's funding to expand operations and create more economic opportunities. Advocates STL complements this by providing the external resources necessary for participants to overcome unexpected life challenges on their path to recovery.