IMPACT!
62,234
WHAT WE DO
Mission:USA is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that helps people in recovery, formerly incarcerated people, and people formerly involved in street violence, to make positive changes in their lives, based on the teachings of Jesus.
Our programs provide support for the most vulnerable moment in people’s lives, where an almost total lifestyle transition is being made…
Our staff members walk step by step beside these individuals, providing a combination of spiritual care, life skills coaching, housing and job information, and connection to a thriving community of overcomers.
OUR PROGRAMS
THE BRIDGE
The Bridge is the centerpiece of our strategy. It’s a weekly meeting that provides a community of encouragement and growth, as well as a connection point for further resources. The Bridge is designed to be a central, immediate support for men and women who are at risk or in crisis.
Quick facts on the weekly meetings of The Bridge:
The Bridge meets every Tuesday night. We’ve never missed a Tuesday since launching in February of 2004.
We use two 15-passenger vans to pick up men and women at multiple addiction recovery programs. The staff in these programs recognize the value of the Bridge and encourage attendance.
The meeting emphasizes acceptance and greeting. Each first time attender is celebrated and given a welcome gift.
Each week there is a topic that has been submitted by one of the attenders. Four speakers give a 10-minute talk on the topic. The speakers are our staff members and representatives from our church partners. We build our church partnerships based on their ability to welcome and connect with the needs of the men and women in our programs. We encourage our attenders to attend any of the churches they meet at the Bridge.
After the service there is a meal provided by our Host Team. The Host Team also helps with childcare and greeting. Click here for more info on being a Host Team.
During the meal our staff provides assistance on resources for jobs, food, and housing needs.
Response to The Bridge:
Since we’ve launched the Bridge in 2004, we’ve had visitors from all over the world attend and marvel at the ingenuity of the Bridge. It makes sense that a person coming out of jail and addiction needs a single place to go (like a food court) to get started in their new life. And yet, to our knowledge, this is the only program of its kind in existence.
We want to share the strategy of the Bridge and see it expand to other cities. We have documented training and procedures to support a start-up. Contact Us to set up a time to discuss launching a Bridge program in your city.
IMPACT!
CROSSOVER
We launched our Crossover program in 2023. These are new outreaches, designed and run by people who have come up through The Bridge program! We want to be a launching pad to incubate new community outreaches. Examples of our Crossover programs include outreach to a homeless community, a women’s overcomers group, and a neighborhood Bible study. New programs are always in the works!
CROSSOVER
FACTS
5 Weeks
26
3
BRIDGE BUILDERS
IMPACT!
We've had 12 Bridge Builders since we began the program in 2015.
2 have gone on to become Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors (CADC); 1 works full-time for a national recovery program and the other works full-time for Cook County Jail in family assistance.
PRISON PROGRAMS AND AFTERCARE
Our roots are in prison chaplaincy, and we continue our 30-year partnership with Cook County Jail to provide programming for both male and female inmates.
Through our partnership with Cook County Jail, we work with men in maximum security Division 11 and women in Thrive (90-day drug rehabilitation unit) as well as the general population.
The Bridge serves as the largest post-prison aftercare meeting in Chicago and we frequently have men and women come to the Bridge after meeting our staff in jail.
For inmates who end up serving time downstate, we have a Bridge Builder who writes to them regularly, and keeps that connection going until they get released and can attend The Bridge.
Mission:USA also provides training to churches and nonprofit organizations looking to build or expand their own jail and prison outreach programs.
IMPACT!
Fifteen percent (15%) of the women we meet in jail in the Thrive program attend the Bridge.
"I will be with the Bridge until I die. When I was incarcerated and ready to come home I thought I'd be alone. But there were people waiting for me who loved me and that was the Bridge."
Former Inmate who participated in our jail program
Women's Programs
We launched our women's ministry in the fall of 2009, by intentionally building relationships with every woman who came to the Bridge. The new women at The Bridge felt so loved that they came back and brought their mothers, friends, cousins, and children! Within a few months, our team had their first women's meeting.
Since that time we have developed relationships with several women’s recovery programs and launched our jail outreach.
Today the Bridge is at least 50% women, with women out numbering men on many nights!
Our women’s team continues our jail work, along with small group programs, and individual support.
IMPACT!
21
women attending the Bridge after participating in our jail connection events
• AND •
Our women's recovery craft outreach has been replicated in Tennessee
RECOVERY SUPPORT
IMPACT!
20-25
Partnerships
We visit churches around Chicago to find places where our attenders can feel accepted and included. As we identify strong churches, we invite the pastors to come to the Bridge to speak and invite the attenders to their church. The experience of being wanted and invited to join church families is new to many of our attenders.
For housing, we have developed comprehensive knowledge of programs throughout Chicago and have developed 1-pagers to inform our people of the intake and application procedures of those housing programs. We work with our attenders to apply to housing programs and complete the required processes to be considered for housing. In many cases, this extra help and coaching increases acceptance into programs and success with housing placement.
We also support job placement through our partnerships with placement agencies throughout Chicago. In many cases, our men and women have job experience that can be leveraged for an all-important first job after coming out of a jobless season of their lives.
IMPACT!
37
active partners across Chicago
including residential recovery programs, jobs and housing programs, churches, and social services
