The SoulFisher Ministries
AGAPE & Successful Second Chances Program Evaluations
Project Date
Oct 2022—Sept 2025
Type of Evaluation
Planning, Process, Outcome
Setting
Community-based
Overview
The SoulFisher Ministries established the Adult General Academic Program of Education (AGAPE) and the Successful Second Chances Workforce Development (SSC)programs to provide reentry services, supportive housing, and wraparound services for women and men who are currently or formerly incarcerated. The goal of AGAPE and SSC is to prepare participants for post-secondary attainment, career development, intrapersonal development, and interpersonal connection upon exit from the program.
The Evaluation Center is partnering with The SoulFisher Ministries to build and implement an evaluation plan for each program. The evaluation team also develops data collection tools and management systems to track progress toward goals and train program staff on how to use them.
Project Description
Background
The SoulFisher Ministries (TSM) is a St. Louis-based organization founded to break the school-to-prison pipeline by providing after-school tutoring and enrichment for students who have an incarcerated parent. It also addresses the issue of mass incarceration by providing reentry programs and services, supportive housing, and wraparound services to currently and formerly incarcerated women and men.
The Adult General Academic Program of Education (AGAPE) program includes life skills training, goal setting, healing-centered mental health support, and linkage to financial, medical, and housing services. The Successful Second Chances (SSC) program centers around workforce development, job search assistance, and job placement support. Program staff provides pre- and post-release services including financial literacy, substance use, and identity development classes; career training, employment connections, linkage to credit-bearing college courses, and mental health services.
Upon release, program participants are provided temporary or permanent supportive housing while receiving educational instruction, career support through the SSC program, life skills, health care assistance, case management, and more. The case management team provides holistic and restoratively-based support that identifies individual challenges, strengths, and protective factors in ways that promote and increase self-esteem and self-actualization.
Evaluation Center Activities
- Develop evaluation plans, including logic models and methods matrices.
- Develop data collection tools and protocols.
- Conduct key informant interviews with program participants.
- Conduct focus groups with program staff.
- Develop data management system.
- Collect, manage, and analyze data.
- Evaluate program process and outcomes.
- Support compliance with grant technical assistance, planning guides, and reporting requirements.
Our Products
- Evaluation plans, including logic models and methods matrices
- Data collection tools
- Data collection protocols
- Data management system
- Semi-annual evaluation reports
- Quarterly board reports
- Annual evaluation reports
- Quarterly course summaries
Project Funder
U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
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