Source 2021 Recap – 2022 Vision

Check our videos:

• Mpls Manna 2021 Update Video: 2021 Recap Video with video of the outreach and prayer in action. It features $2 million of food relief and many recipients expressing thanks.
• Anti-Trafficking: Suburban Trafficking:
• Mpls Mayor Frey: Came to participate in food distribution in June and to say thank you to Source. Watch the last 60 seconds as we pray for the city and Mayor Frey. “I’ve heard about [Source] from constituents who have come into my office in tears and saying because of you (Source), they now have food on the table… 2021-2022 these are rebuilding years, these are years of nurture, growth, healing and transformation and you are all at the ground level of that…Thank you” Mpls Mayor Frey.
• Miracle in the Food Line: God heals woman to whom doctors told her a tumor will never allow her to hear again. This is one of many healings we have seen this last year as we offer simple prayers along with food and resources. Hear her share her testimony from her own words.
• Mpls Lake Street Business Recovery:
• Peter & Jessica 25 Years: Peter and Jessica Wohler have been with Source since 1995. They share of the successes and tears of being part of Source, watching the city they love destroyed and seeing God show up in the recovery.

Summary of 2021 Highlights include:

• 250 first time commitments to follow Christ
• Food Distribution: $2 million of food relief in 2021 ($3 million since 2020 Mpls Unrest).
• 300 families coming weekly (November saw a 50% increase)
• Anti-Trafficking: Women’s’ Drop-in Hours: Access to showers, laundry, meal, resources and case worker staff
• Anti-Trafficking: Assisting and giving ongoing support to teens and families to turn in trafficker to FBI
• Anti-Trafficking: Housing single moms, young women out of foster care and participating in out-patient programs
• Teen Leadership Program
• Latino Family Outreach Begins

Now that Covid funding programs have ceased, our challenge for 2022 is to continue to meet the needs at our front door.

2021 Highlights (Details)

We are excited to report that we have been able to see significant results from each of the 2021 programs (Note: Small Business Assistance program is scheduled to begin summer of 2022).

Source holistic approach includes:

• Opportunities (practical resources for stabilization and overcome negative circumstances) and
• Hope (voicing God’s love and forgiveness and providing mentors for spiritual formation and introducing to local
  churches)

With our food distribution to impoverished families we are known as the Christians who, “feed you and pray for you.” With addicts and trafficking victims we help get you back on your feet with physical and emotional needs and we are a voice of a God that wants to redeem your life and offers healing and forgiveness.

• 250 first time commitments in 2021.
  • We have seen more than 250 make first time decisions to follow Christ. As we offer physical needs of food distribution and women who come to our drop-in center, we also offer prayer and pastoral counseling. Through this we have had 100’s of opportunities to engage in conversations that allow us to speak into individual lives and explain the realities of God’s kingdom, God’s character and Biblical truths. These typically begin with voicing God’s love and that we all have worth and value even though the world and sometimes experiences with religion tell us the opposite. For many these are incredibly encouraging and life changing words.
• Family Stabilization
  • Food Distribution: $2 million of food relief in 2021 ($3 million since 2020 Mpls Unrest)
  • 300 families coming weekly (November saw a 50% increase)
  • Homeless Meals: Weekly outreach & completion of licensed commercial kitchen with hood
  • Food Packing Program for the Poor: This is a program to assist those in greatest need and to give people the dignity to not just receive food but to help distribute it. It takes a lot of help to move a million lbs. of food. The food packing program exchanges gift cards for individuals that come help put in hour to help us distribute the food.
• Homeless – Street Outreach
  • Victims of trafficking, mental illness, addiction, sexual abuse, unemployment, and homeless youth are all a part of those we come in contact with weekly. While distributing meals and offering prayer, we offer hope and practical ways for individuals to take their next step toward holistic health and wholeness.
• Anti-Trafficking (More details below)
  • 2021: Outreaches returning back to normal. One sign of Covid recovery in 2021 has been a return to some of our normal modes of outreach. Women’s Drop-In Center hours, law enforcement referrals, and new women in residential programs have returned. As vaccination rates increase and Covid restrictions decline, the Source Community Center, the Fallout, is seeing victims and at-risk women come consistently to get food, use shower/laundry, and connect with staff about recovery resources. Being available and accessible is essential after we make initial contact and begin to build trust. Our permanent facility is a significant asset for our street teams to follow up, offer resources, prayer, and counsel for next steps.
  • Stabilization for impoverished families: The number one factor in trafficking and prostitution is poverty and education. Family stabilization for impoverished families especially in high crime areas directly the number of young teens and women victimized by trafficking. Where gangs can thrive women will be trafficked. Source helping family stabilization with providing over $2 Million of food relief for families and the homeless has greatly impacted Mpls recovery, as testified by Mayor Jacob Frey.
  • Support and resources for victims: National media reported on political lobbyist that has been indicted on 10 counts of trafficking involving 6 different teens from the Mpls suburbs. Source staff helped guide one of the Mothers approach her daughter, turn in the trafficker to the FBI and now continue to console the victims and the families as they prepare for the trial. Watch, Anti-Trafficking: Suburban Trafficking Video.
  • Housing and Residents: 2021 Covid restrictions limited some of our housing options. We also saw an incredible need to put energies into outreach as needs have increased at a historic level since the beginning of 2020. We were able to continue assisting at-risk women with housing that included single moms, young women out of foster care and participating in out-patient programs. Over 50% of foster kids end up homeless before the age of 18. Once they turn 18 they no longer have the supports of the state, and as a result have no safety net and end up homeless during that first year of becoming an adult. At- risk women going through treatment have 40 hour a week out-patient options to assist them in their road to recovery. When they are on their own, they do not have the time to work and often cannot afford a place to live while completing the treatment. These women also participate in the food distribution that aides to the being connected with a community of mentors and allies at Source.
  • Women’s’ Drop-in Hours: Access to showers, laundry, meal, resources and case worker staff (see above).
  • Street Homeless Meals, Outreach and Encampments:
  • Victim Resource Coordinating and Case Workers for referrals, women coming to drop-in center and street/homeless outreach.
• Teen Leadership
  • Teen Internships for Minneapolis teens from low-income families focused on job skills, organization, communication, customer service and responsibilities with the food distribution. Single parent homes, first formal job, punching in and out, reporting to a supervisor, following through with responsibilities, learning construction skills and leading others in accomplishing tasks were all part of the internship. Meeting the
    mayor while participating in a Lake Street Kmart giveaway was a highlight. Some of these boys also participate in a community youth soccer team I coach. Unfortunately, in May as we were warming up for a game at 7pm, a shootout between two gangs took place a half block from the field off Lake Street. Over
    60 rounds were shot as the boys and their parents took cover on the field. Fortunately no one was hurt (one of our coaches was grazed with a bullet), but unfortunately it represents some of the violence and trauma families and teens have to navigate.
• Latino Family Outreach:
  • The Latino community represents the poorest of the poor. East Lake Street, where Source Mn is located, has the highest percentage of Latinos in the city. It has grown from 5% to 30% since we have been there. This populations did not receive Covid assistant checks and rarely receives unemployment. These
    impoverished neighborhoods are under served, schools have the lowest graduation rates for males of color in the city and victims of the high crime and violence. The young girls and women are the most vulnerable to trafficking.
  • Food Packing Program (see above) and ESL (English as a Second Language) has seen dozens attend weekly.
  • Teen Interns were Latino from Mpls Fernando and Merta Lopez, Pastors from Columbia with 20 years of experience are moving in spring of 2022 to become Source staff and plant a South Mpls church. They were able to join us this past June and did an incredible job of ministering to individuals and families.

2022 Vision

As previously stated, the rebuild and recovery of Minneapolis will take years. We are incredibly encouraged about the fruit of 2021, and we also see the incredible continued battle to rebuild and restore the city. Amidst the battle individuals are open to the looking to God for help like never before.

The vision of Lake Street ’22 was that these programs would be a 2-year initial response to 2020.

Lake Street ’22 initiatives include:
+ Food Distribution + Homeless Meals
+ Anti-Trafficking + Teen Leadership and Art Programs
+ Small Business Assistance + Latino Family Outreach

2020: was a year of Response: Responding to the initial crisis

2021: was a year of Recovery: Rebuild and Restore impoverished communities and victims. And seeing spiritual formation new commitments.

2022: will be a year of Growth and Spiritual Foundations: Continuing to Rebuild and Restore impoverished communities and victims that are hanging on. And seeing individuals grow in spiritual formation.

In 2022 we desire to continue and grow our impact we had in 2020 and 2021. Our biggest challenge is our food and outreach budget. This was initiated with the 2020 crisis and government Covid programs funded a significant amount. Now that Covid funding programs have ceased, we need help to continue in 2022.

In 2022, we plan to continue and grow all the Lake Street ’22 programs. Below are some specific notes:

• Anti-Trafficking
  • Continue Programs:
    • Stabilizing Families through Urban Outreach and Lake Street ’22 initiatives
    • Street Outreach / Homeless Outreach & Meals / Women’s Drop-in Center Continue
    • Victim Resource Coordinating and Case Workers for referrals, women coming to drop-in center and street/homeless outreach.
    • Residential Housing to empower recover
• 2022 new or additional:
  • Expand staff to meet ongoing need: 3 staff members
  • Invest to expand housing and transitional homes: Currently in negotiations an organization to partner to be a new transitional home program in 2022.
  • Prayer Van: Assist with outreach and help transport women to resources. Enabling Source to have a “Mobile Drop-In.” This is a great asset as it not only helps bring outreach supplies and transport women to resources, It also serves as an identifiable mobile landmark for individuals to recognize
    when we return.
• Spiritual Formations
  • Continue Programs:
    • Continue to offer prayer and pastoral counseling with outreach initiatives
  • 2022 new or additional:
    • Train leaders to provide mentors, small groups, and spiritual formation groups to give those who made first time commitments a foundation how to live out their faith, amongst great challenges
• Family Stabilization
  • Continue Programs:
    • Food distribution and homeless meals: $2 million of food relief for 1,200 monthly recipients
    • Food Packing Program
  • 2022 new or additional:
    • FACE Food Access & Community Empowerment) Program will include: increasing mobile food distribution, training recipients to work in a commercial kitchen, mobile deliveries to elderly and those without vehicles
• Prayer Van
  • The Prayer Bus has literally been surviving on prayers. We will be replacing it with a high-capacity van that will allow us to be able to host mobile neighborhood food giveaways, host mobile drop-in (See Anti-Trafficking above).