Broad Street Ministry

Since 2005, Broad Street Ministry (BSM) has served as an engagement center uniquely designed to improve our guests’ physical and psychological health. Through a trauma-informed approach, individuals are connected with services both at BSM and throughout Philadelphia to support their progress towards stability. In 2020, services included:

●      Meals: Through our COVID-19 hunger relief initiative, BSM partnered with the City of Philadelphia to distribute over 500,000 meals at BSM and at multiple “hub” locations throughout the City including Center City, Southeast Philadelphia, Germantown, North Philadelphia and Kensington.

●      Mail: The BSM Mail Program distributed 145,357 pieces of mail to 4,804 guests (including stimulus checks totaling over $500,000) and helped 806 people apply for and receive crucial identification such as driver licenses, birth certificates and social security cards.

●      Case Management: A team of "Concierges" helps our BSM guests connect to stabilizing services and supports. In 2020, BSM Concierge helped 2,228 guests access public benefits (e.g., SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, unemployment) and 850 individuals acquire housing assistance including quarantine housing for guests testing positive for COVID-19. Other services include legal assistance, workforce development, medical and mental health treatment, substance use treatment, and COVID testing.

●      Reentry Support: The BSM Reentry Program provides on-site stabilizing services for individuals impacted by deep poverty and incarceration by providing and connecting individuals to resources that help them reintegrate meaningfully into the community. In 2020, the BSM Reentry Specialists worked intensively with 206 formerly incarcerated individuals, connecting 101 of them to appropriate employers or job training programs. In that same year, 220 Reentry guests were connected to benefits. Through the team’s civic engagement drive, 200 individuals were registered to vote in the November general election, as featured in coverage from both the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Tribune. An additional 202 individuals were connected to services through our Welcome Home hotline, launched in July 2020 as an emergency response to Covid-19 lockdown measures.

●      Clothing & Community Hygiene: The ability of our trauma-informed approach to decrease anxiety while fostering trust encourages our guests to access services offered in tandem with our meals, including clothing and community hygiene items such as socks, underwear, shampoo, soap, and adult diapers. In 2020, BSM distributed 8,962 items of clothing and 21,377 hygiene items to BSM guests.

●      Medical & Mental Health Support: In 2018, BSM reached a significant organizational milestone by partnering with Philadelphia FIGHT to open an on-site Federally Qualified Health Clinic (FQHC) – our guests can now access a primary care provider and Mental Health Case Manager within our building. In 2020, 179 unique individuals accessed medical and mental health services at the BSM on-site clinic.