The Center for The Homeless

With roughly 200 men, women, and children in its residential facility, the CFH provides wrap-around programs in an effort to break the cycle of homelessness for its guests. While the CFH has provided more than 700,000 safe nights and 1.5 million meals to more than 27,000 people since its opening in December 1988, its focus is to provide not just life-saving, but life-changing services. The CFH’s innovative model offers homeless families and individuals a structured, on-site, step-by-step process to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. This revolutionary program relies on partnerships with every sector of the community and has been endorsed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Everything that happens in the Center serves to further our mission, which is threefold:

  1. Break the cycle of homelessness.
  2. Bring together disparate groups so that each can discover the worth, dignity and potential of the other.
  3. Pioneer a service model worthy of replication.

This mission unites all members of the Center community in a common endeavor. Because of the depth and severity of the condition of homelessness, no less than a focused and concerted effort can bring lasting change into the lives of our guests.



CFH Continuum of Care
1. Emergency Shelter:

When a guest first comes to the Center Crisis Intervention, Orientation and Assessment are provided.

Guests who utilize programming at the Center have a Coach who assists in developing and implementing a self-sufficiency plan. The following services are available as needed throughout the stay: adult basic education, relationship cCounseling, mental health and substance abuse treatment, peer mentoring, abuse counseling, debt reconciliation and budgeting.


2. Personal Development and Education: Starting Over/Stepping Higher Program

Curriculum includes: stress management, living an integrated life, team leadership, goal setting and daily programming that addresses the whole person (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual).


3. Job Training and Placement: STAR (Skilled, Trained, Able and Ready)

Curriculum includes: job readiness, externships, job retention and job search.


4. Transitional Housing: On-site

Opportunities Include: After Five and Breakfast Club (peer support groups), job search and retention, saving 75% of income, debt reduction.


5. Housing in the Community

Guests secure affordable housing, participate in outreach case management, volunteer in the community and mentor guests at the Center.


6. Homeownership

Guests move into stable neighborhoods with low mortgage payments and serve as community volunteers and mentors.



CFH Community Partnerships

Only through the involvement of several crucial local agencies does the Center offer such a wide range of quality services to our guests. Partner organizations and individuals contribute time and expertise, allowing our guests access to the best resources in the community.

Madison Center

As the designated Community Mental Health Center for St. Joseph County, Madison Center houses two programs on-site at our facility. The Community Support Program provides outreach to those with psychiatric disabilities, especially the chronically mentally ill who are otherwise unidentified or underserved. Its drop-in center allows access to psychological testing, payeeship services, behavior management, referral coordination and medication monitoring. Also on-site is New Passages, an intensive specialized outpatient treatment program for those with addictions.

Memorial Hospital & Health System

By providing primary medical care at an on-site satellite clinic here at the Center, Memorial Hospital offers critical help to guests suffering from everything from a common cold to chronic illness. Memorial Hospital also supports our Play, Exploration and Developmental Support (PEDS) program, which gives homeless children from birth to age three a unique opportunity to grow cognitively and socially during a critical phase in their development.

Family & Children's Center

Through its on-site Genesis program, the Family & Children's Center offers individual, family and group counseling. Coaches refer clients for therapy.

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

A preschool program for homeless children ages three to six operates in our Montessori classroom here at the Center five days a week for six hours a day. It is staffed by trained and certified Montessori Academy teachers and is the only Montessori program in the United States that specifically serves the homeless population. Eighth graders from the Academy at Edison Lakes come each Tuesday morning for classes and servicework.

South Bend Community School Corporation

Through the McKinney-Vento Act, the SBCSC offers support with the enrollment process, assessment, and placement within the school system. In addition, the SBCSC provides adult education classes at the Center including GED preparation, computer training, and basic training courses.

Crooked Creek Ranch Horseback Riding Ministry

Children who live at the Center are able to take part in therapeutic horseback riding at Crooked Creek Ranch in Wakarusa. The experience improves their self-confidence, physical coordination, and appreciation for animal life and nature.

First Steps

Through a referral process, children ages 0-3 are screened for developmental, communication, cognitive, sensory, motor and social/emotional delays.