Celebrating 40 Years of Transforming Lives
For four decades, Saint John’s Program for Real Change has provided a safe space for women and children to heal, rebuild, and break cycles of trauma and homelessness. What began in 1985 as a simple shelter on the steps of St. John’s Lutheran Church has grown into a comprehensive, life-changing program offering housing, childcare, behavioral health support, education, and workforce training.
At Saint John’s, we believe in equipping women with the tools they need to achieve lasting independence. Through job readiness classes, onsite education, and hands-on experience in our social enterprises—Plates Catering and Red Door Desserts—our clients gain the confidence and skills to secure stable employment and build a brighter future for their families. Our Female Community Reentry Program (FCRP) is one of only six in California, giving justice-involved women a second chance through structured support, vocational training, and case management.
Our Impact in 2024
-390 women and children served
-47,865 meals provided
-28,906 nights of safe shelter
-73% of women maintained sobriety
-56% exited to stable housing
We don’t just provide temporary relief—we offer a pathway to real change. With the support of volunteers, donors, and corporate partners, we help women and children overcome trauma, find stability, and thrive. Together, we are transforming lives and breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations.
Join us in making a lasting impact.
The mission of Saint John’s Program for Real Change is to provide a safe space for women and children to heal and develop the skills necessary to transform their lives. Our work is guided by a vision to end the generational cycle of trauma and homelessness.
Individual donations cover a large portion of our annual operating costs. As an example of what your contribution means to the women and children we serve:
$25 provides educational tools and craft supplies for children in need.
$50 provides a warm blanket, pillow, and sheets for one woman or child.
$100 provides shelter for a mother and her child for 24 hours.
$200 provides 108 nutritious meals.
$300 provides a mother and her child with full support for 24 hours, including housing, drug and alcohol counseling, mental health therapy, parenting education, and childcare.
$500 provides two weeks of nurturing daily childcare for a child in need.
$1000 provides hands-on employment training for one woman for one month.
At Saint John’s Program for Real Change, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees, clients, and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feels valued and respected. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of our organization’s success. Only by embracing our clients’ individuality and unique experiences can we encourage and assist in transformation and real change. Each employee, volunteer, and client has a unique story, needs, talents, motivation, and path to personal success.
Saint John’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is reflected in all of our human resource practices and policies. We promote community outreach to ensure those we serve reflect the scope of the homeless population in our region and our services are shaped by diverse stakeholder input. All employees of Saint John’s have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. We pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities, including training on providing trauma responsive and individuated care. We ensure that all voices are valued and heard. Diversity and inclusion are sponsored at the highest levels in the organization and recognized as a critical component of client and organizational success, with every level of the organization holding responsibility. Employees strive for awareness of their own unconscious and conscious bias and to ensure this does not manifest itself at work or in service of our clients. We strive to create an inclusive environment that embraces difference and fosters inclusion.
Organization name
Saint John's Program for Real Change
1985
Tax id (EIN)
68-0132934
Mission Category
Human Services
Operating Budget
$5,000,001-$10 million
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Volunteers, In-Kind Donations, Funding: Program
Demographics Served
Homeless/Underhoused/Unhoused, Low-income individuals/families, Women/Female-identifying
Local Counties Served
Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo
Address
2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #369Sacramento, CA, US