Streets to Success

About Streets to Success

The Streets to Success program support men and women with histories of homelessness, addiction, and criminal behaviors as they choose to accept personal responsibility and work towards building a healthier lifestyle. Bean’s Cafe launched the program in December 2023, after addressing homelessness and hunger in Anchorage, Alaska for more than four decades.

The Streets to Success (STS) program is a voluntary 12-to-16-month commitment in a supportive, drug-free residential setting, focusing on personal & social responsibility through a structured, stage-based approach. The curriculum we use is an evidence-based practice for motivating and guiding individuals toward positive life change. The program is made up of 5 important parts that together build a foundation of positive change. These parts focus on the 8 positive attitudes for change, rational thinking, prosocial lifestyle, healthy relationships, and maintaining recovery. The program is broken into 4 phases, each 3 months long with journals in the first 3 phases strategically helping each phase along the way. Along with the journal groups, they will participate in the Bean’s Cafe social enterprise called Motley Crew Bakery and Catering. A social enterprise is a program that provides a line of financial funding for the program while having a positive social impact within our community. While at the bakery, they will learn the necessary soft skills to be successful at a job while also being able to practice what they are learning from the program in real time.

The program structure is based on a well-researched model of care called Therapeutic Community. Program participants receive support and guidance from experts with lived experience – staff members and mentors who have overcome homelessness, substance abuse, and incarceration in their own lives. To help facilitate positive outcomes in the lives of program participants, our organization also maintains important community partnerships to help support our participants succeed as they make changes and graduate the program.

The vision of Streets to Success, a program of Bean’s Cafe, is to provide the necessary tools and life skills that result in lasting change for people who are ready and willing to come out of addiction, homelessness, and other life barriers. We believe the opposite of addiction is connection. Giving others purpose through connection is vital for lasting change to healthy living. We believe in accountability
with love. Teaching others to be responsible for their actions by bringing awareness with honesty and care is essential to staying successful in recovery. We are
dedicated to helping people become successful in everyday living by providing a pathway to self-sufficiency with dignity and respect.

Phase 1: Community and Self-Discovery
Orientation Phase; participants will learn the basic principles and components of the community. Participants will focus on learning the 8 positive attitudes such as humility, caring, responsibility, and honesty. They will also focus on willingness, objectivity, gratitude, and open mindedness. On top of that, that will start to learn and identify the 8 common thinking errors and explore their thoughts that are causing negative outcomes that have affected them in the past.

Phase 2: Personal Development
This phase is known as the core phase. Participants will learn their actions behind their criminal thinking. In this phase participants must exhibit changes and understanding in core-related concepts. They will begin to understand the ripple effect of their behaviors and consistently challenge their irrational beliefs. They will learn about relationship roles and how to maintain them along with how to effectively communicate with others.

Phase 3: Strategies for Success
This phase is known as the Transition Phase. This is where the rubber meets the road. They will identify obstacles and solutions for those obstacles. They will build a relapse prevention plan and safety net of people in their community that are a positive influence. They can go to outside recovery meetings too.

Phase 4: Moving Forward
In this phase, they have completed the journals and now have more freedom. They will obtain their GED, (if needed) build a resume, and do mock interviewing to prepare them for employment. Once they obtain full-time employment and set up a savings account, they will have a set amount in savings before they transition out of the program. They will also mentor participants in the other phases and will have the opportunity for an internship as a Program Facilitator if they so desire. They can also apply at Bean’s Cafe to be a part of our workforce development as a Second Chance Employer. If all the requirements have been met in phase 4, they will graduate and complete the program.

Looking for more information? 

Contact our Program Facilitators at  navigation@beanscafe.org or call 907.538.7049