
A ministry of “OneChurch” - to Homeless families
Providing emergency shelter for homeless families.
OCOF is a simple strategic partnership with local churches providing the finance to help support a physical home for families to live in. Local churches also provide a “support Team” to mentor and meet with that family once a week to provide the spiritual and emotional support needed to get back on their feet. We also partner with Kitsap Community Resources (KCR) and Youth for Christ (YFC). KCR and YFC does all of the pre-qualifying of the families we work with, and they also provide a case worker that meets weekly with each family.
Our role is to provide the leadership, cast the vision, develop strategies, do the training, and provide the over site for strategic partnerships to effectively minister to the needs of our community.
Indeed there are some things we can do better together, than we can separately.
And in a very real sense, no one of us could do what we do without the other.
Very much like the body of Christ being dependent on the various gifts to be complete!
Here is a very simple outline what we do, and how it works.
Simple Strategy
1) Local Churches
- giving financially
- to support housing
2) Local Churches Providing Support Teams
- to provide relational ministry to these families
3) Local Churches
- Adopting-A-Home
- taking the lead responsibility for one home
4) Strategic Partnerships
- with individual churches that own a home
Guidelines regarding who we will help:
- Genuinely homeless
- Families with children
- Employable
- Willing to sign a contract of commitment and personal conduct
- Short term housing of 90-days with possible extensions
- Willing to meet with a support team
- Each family must agree to guidelines and requirements of KCR, YFC, and OCOF.
Our Goal is a Holistic Ministry
1) Physical Ministry
- Food and shelter
2) Social ministry
- Help them find work
- Address the family’s real needs
- Financial and family counseling
3) Spiritual Ministry
- Address their spiritual needs
- Meet weekly with a support team
- Pray with them
We have Grown.
We now have partnerships that help provide 16 family units for emergency housing.
| Strategic Partnership | Manette Comm. Church | 1 unit |
| Strategic Partnership | Saint Olaf Poulsbo | 1 unit |
| Strategic Partnership |
Silverdale Cottage Cedarwood |
1 unit 1 unit |
| Strategic Partnership | Port Orchard Church of Christ |
3 unit |
| Partnership with KCR |
Bremerton Silverdale |
2 units 6 Units |
| Central Kitsap Partnership | Brownsville |
1 units |
| Total Housing Units | 16 units |
Success and Outcomes from the Ministry of OCOF over the past 6 years
- Successful partnership with Kitsap Community Resources and Youth for Christ
- Ministered to over 170 families / Over 600 People
- 74% Success rate of families moving on to permanent or transitional housing
- 100% success rate for those who follow the program requirements
- Every family is prayed for - and prayed with
- This year - on track to help over 50 families
What do we Need?
1) More Churches in partnership
- There are over 140 churches in Kitsap County
- Right now we have over 30 churches in partnership together with OCOF
2) Churches and individuals giving Financially
- Churches giving monthly to provide housing
3) Churches and individuals providing Support Teams
- A support Team is 2 people meeting weekly with a family
4) Churches giving leadership and Adopting-A-Home
- Individual local Churches taking responsibility for One Home
- Note Card with Details
Individual Churches - “Best Strategy”
The biggest barrier for most churches is how to cast the vision and mobilize people. We encourage each local church to create a:
“Community Network Ministry Team”
- 5-6 people highly committed (and gifted) for personal ministry to our community
- This “leadership team” would give leadership to whole church
- This “team” would identify, recruit and mobilize people from within the church
- Identify strategies to connect and minister to our community
- This would not be just of OCOF...but for other community ministries as well
| - Homeless families |
- OCOF |
| - Mentoring young people |
- CHAMPS |
| - Provide back packs for school children |
- First Christian Church PO |
| - Help provide Meals |
- Take it to the Streets - Bremerton Rescue Mission - Area churches “dinner night” |
| - Car Repair, Benevolence Ministry, etc. |
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| - Many other ministry opportunities out into the community |
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