To set people free, it is essential for us to help build family stability and show youth an alternative to the lifestyles to which they are accustomed. Many know nothing about work ethics. They are unemployable because they lack skills and education, but more so because they cannot get themselves to work on a regular basis. Dependability is not something they have learned by example. Domestic violence is a way of life for so many.
Substance abuse is prevalent in far too many homes.
The public school system is so mired in bureaucracy that reform is slow or nonexistent. We attempt to help build community pride by cleaning up alleys and vacant lots. In one project, we cleared 14 lots once used by unscrupulous contractors to dump trash. Now they make up a park and community garden. The challenge has been to maintain it, to teach youth that destroying equipment harms everyone, including themselves.