Focus Area: Youth Development

Grant Amount: $10,000

Located in Rochester. The Jeremiah Program was founded in Minneapolis in 1993, and in recent years has expanded nationally; in 2020 JP established the Rochester campus to serve Rochester and southeastern Minnesota. JP’s mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. The organization believes that no mother should have to make the untenable choice between investing in herself or supporting her children, so JP provides the necessary support for moms in pursuit of economic mobility, including providing transitional housing for those who need it on 9 campuses nationwide. The Rochester program serves 40 single mothers and their children. The campus includes an onsite childcare center operated by Head Start with a capacity to serve 68 children.

Grant supports expanding mental health services provided by Family Services Rochester for moms and their children, and lessening the barriers to accessing mental health services onsite. Funding will support drop-in services that allow the moms to connect with visiting therapists in a low stress environment to decide if a therapeutic relationship would be helpful.