Homeless Program

Rapha Response Group     

Rapha Response Group is a boutique agency offering an alternative shelter solution for homeless individuals seeking transitional housing. We offer a matchmaking service between an individual or family willing to foster hope, healing and temporary housing to homeless teens, veterans, individuals, and families.

Rapha Response Group will be a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization funded in part by the government and people like you. Our goal is to eradicate the effects of homelessness, child sexual abuse, domestic and sexual violence; restoring families and communities, by creating programs which target the spirit, soul and body so that our clients can graduate as balanced and whole beings.

Rapha Response Group services are not provided for seriously mentally ill or convicted sexual offenders. We serve individuals who have acute or situational depression, anxiety, PTSD or mild concerns that are a result of homelessness, domestic and sexual violence or child sexual abuse. We mainly serve individuals and families who are independent and likely feel that they need the stability of housing, to find or maintain employment.

In rare cases, we may offer this service to individuals with severe physical disability, or mental illness if the host individual or family has a professional in the home who requests someone with severe physical disability or mental illness, and has the education, training and proof of experience to work with clients of the aforementioned.

Rapha Response Group has mandatory trainings for approved host individuals and families who would be a match for one of our homeless clients. These trainings include but are not limited to:

• Rapha Response Group Policies and Procedures
• How Do People Become Homeless
• Barriers to Overcoming Homelessness
• How to Support a Homeless Person
• Ten Ways to Safeguard Your Child from Sexual Abuse®
• Open House Networking Event for Hosts and the Homeless

Hosting families pay to take these classes in person, if you are within 4 hours of Washington, DC in any direction, or online. In exchange, the host individual or family will obtain an official Rapha Response Certificate of Completion. You will be entered into our database and matched with a client. You can decline hosting services at anytime if you are unable to offer temporary housing. As an incentive, we offer a stipend to host individuals and families for the duration of our homeless client’s stay.

Rapha Response Group has mandatory trainings and support groups, for approved homeless individuals and families who would be a match for one of our hosting clients. These trainings include but are not limited to:

• Rapha Response Group Policies and Procedures
• Rapha Recovery® group is designed for individuals overcoming drug/alcohol abuse
• A Journey To Love You® adult self-healing program
• Homeless to Healed®  a seminar focused on healing and emotional wellness
• Entrepreneurship or career training classes

Rapha Response Group requires that all participants host and homeless individuals or families undergo a background check, among other requirements. Both host and homeless, will fill out an in-depth questionnaire designed to aid our agency in being the best matchmaker possible.

Rapha Response Group acts as a solution to faith-based organizations who do not currently have a way to serve their homeless members. We come to your church or organization and speak about our services, offer on site training and provide member-to-member host-to-homeless connections whenever possible.

Many churches do not understand the needs of the homeless or how to serve them in a capacity that would help them overcome their financial crisis, however with Rapha Response Group we will support your members in staying connected to your fellowship, while a part of our program.

Before our official launch, we are looking for:

• Partnerships with organizations who can refer homeless people to us
• Partnerships with churches who will hire us to provide services to homeless members
• Host families who will become a part of our training program and wait list
• Volunteers to do “street ministry” finding homeless people who fit our boutique service
• A shelter or apartment building to become our home base to serve homeless clients
• Donations that will offer a stipend to host families to take in a homeless person

One way to help the homeless now, is to be our evangelist. Tell everyone you know about this program. There are people who would like to help the homeless in this way. There are homeless people who want to overcome their situation and we can only find them with our voices. Homeless people do not typically have time or the thought to search for their own services on-line. Please direct them here or have them call Ressurrection at: 202.717.7377 (RESS)

Mary Kay is BIG on helping victims of domestic violence. In fact, they give millions away each year. Rapid Response Group admires their organizational contributions and has become a recipient of their contributions through their Makeover contest.

When you get a Makeover and take a before and after picture, you enter to win an international vacation, and $5,000 to give to your favorite charity. We hope that we’ve earned your support, and with $5,000 we will be able to help 25 individual homeless people find temporary shelter in someone’s home.

Please attend our Makeover event and enter to win a vacation for you, $5,000 to give to our Rapha Response Program to shelter the homeless and victims of domestic violence.

For More information on our Makeover contest event, please call Shanda Johnson at: 301.357.7473