Cup of Cool Water

Form 990, part iii, line 4a - program service accomplishments:cup of Cool Water (ccw) is a nonprofit ministry in downtown spokane that walks alongside youth who are homeless on their journey of reconciliation with themselves, god, and society. Officially recognized as a 501 (c) (3) in august 1997, we have been serving youth experiencing homelessness with compassion and love for more than 22 years. Through the gospel of jesus christ, we build healthy relationships and provide youth with basic services. We carry out our mission through a drop-in center, street outreach, mentorship, life skills and community bike shop programs while emphasizing our core values of community, unconditional love, relationship and empowerment. In 2018, Cup of Cool Water made more than 11,600 connections with youth through its drop-in center, bike shop and outreach with 628 unduplicated youth. Ccw staff and volunteers reach out to spokane youth weekly, walking the streets of downtown to meet youth where they are. The primary purpose of our street outreach program is to establish rapport and encourage youth to visit our drop-in center to receive additional services. At the ccw drop-in center, volunteers and staff create a safe and consistent environment where youth can eat a meal and have some of their needs met within a loving, caring community. The drop-in center serves as a connection point between youth and our community partners including housing specialists, social service agencies and mental health professionals. It also provides youth access to clothing, showers, laundry, internet and personal hygiene supplies. Our life skills classes are dynamic and empowering, equipping youth with skills essential to exiting street life. Community partners who are subject matter experts in the fields of housing, employment, money management, substance abuse and physical health teach classes. Small classes forge an intimate learning environment focused on personal growth.our mentorship program helps youth to develop self-care, self-sufficiency and relationship-centered skills. This 16-week program consists of weekly classes, one-on-one meeting with a mentor and 2 hours of community service each week. This program increases a youths ability to advocate for themselves, manage time, set goals and generally make better life decisions. Lastly, ccws job training program is specifically designed to meet the needs of youth age 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness. Cool Water painters embraces youth entering the program with a supportive and compassionate community, empowering youth through a cohort-style learning environment where peer-to-peer motivation and program attachment stimulate individual and team development within a social enterprise business model. Cool Water painters is a licensed, bonded, and insured business that uses residential painting as the mechanism to teach youths skills essential to success in the workplace. Staff work with program graduates to ensure a seamless transfer from the training program to gainful employment while providing mentorship and support for a period of 6-12 months following graduation. To-date, 100 percent of our graduates have successfully exit homelessness and remain stabily employed members of our community.