life skills plus
Life Skills PLUS teaches practical life skills to empower those emerging from homelessness and crises. We…
Deliver knowledge and tools that are critical for clients to better care for themselves, their families, and their homes
Emphasize structure and habits essential to sustaining independent living
Encourage and instill positivity to build client confidence for moving forward in their lives
All of the Begin Again clients we serve have endured extreme hardship. Prior to securing recent housing with our referring Partners, most experienced unimaginable crises and/or homelessness. Others are young adults who have aged out of the foster care system, having had unstable living conditions for years with little or no parental guidance. This new educational program complements Begin Again’s provision of household essentials by extending our outreach to clients for a full year.
Life Skills PLUS teaches clients the basic skills of managing money, preventing emergencies, preparing food, tending to a home, caring for themselves—mentally and physically—as well as their children.
Life Skills PLUS offers hope and inspiration along with structure and encouragement. After the Welcome Package is delivered to clients in person with the Begin Again offering, we provide 11 monthly curated boxes—including easy-to-read tips, simple recipes, affirmations, and useful gifts related to the life skills being reinforced in the brochure for that month. These lessons echo those being taught by our partner case workers, helping to ensure that the individuals and families served thrive in independent living. Case workers who are interested in our program, contact us here.
To love others well, we believe you have to love your health and love your self.
Each year, we teach hundreds of thousands of people to pursue healthy habits that will enrich and possibly extend their lives. Look for our educational posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. People who take care of themselves have more energy and the physical ability to serve others well. The five pillars we teach are:
Live for Others
“The divine sings in our good deeds,” said Rabbi Abraham Herschel. And when we tend to our neighbor, we also tend to ourselves. Because it turns out that volunteering is immensely powerful, not just for the spirit but for the body as well. Volunteering regularly has been shown to:
Cut the risk of adults having high blood pressure by 40 percent
Lowered overall mortality by 47 percent
Likely lowered the risk of depression and anxiety
Bolstered psychological wellbeing.
Check out our suggestions for easy ways you can start living for others, potentially extending your life while pursuing service work that plays to your passions.
Drink Water
Every system and vital organ in your body needs water for optimal performance; indeed, an adult’s weight is made up of as much as 60 percent water. Yet, we often don’t hydrate in the ways we should to fuel the miracle we possess. Drink 90 to 120 ounces each day to maximize your health, energy, brainpower, and the glow of your skin. We believe in water so much that we give away reusable water bottles with many of our projects. Learn more about H2O’s wowing effects on our health.
Eat REAL
Never has the relationship between diet and long-term health been clearer than during the COVID crisis, when comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity were associated with higher rates of death and hospitalization. Eating food of the earth, picking items that are rich in nutrients, fueling our bodies with fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains is transofrmative. It’s why we work so hard to ensure that every neighborhood has access to healthy food. Learn more in our Eat Real blog.
Move Your Body everyday
Each day we wake up is a gift. Yet, fewer than a fifth of Americans get the recommended amount of exercise each week. Seize each day by walking 10,000 steps. Engage in 30 minutes of exercise five days a week, even if you break it up into three 10-minute spans. You can dance, jump rope, walk, or bike! Two or three of those workouts should be strength training, which promises to fuel your metabolism and burn calories even when you are at rest.
Daily Spiritual Exercise
Are you waking up and immediately looking at your phone or social media? If so, we have a different habit to suggest in our blog. Daily prayer, reading a devotional, listening to a spiritual podcast, taking a gratitude walk, all these activities can focus the mind on what truly matters. We were built to serve, we were designed to live in community, and we can best attune ourselves to God’s calling for our lives if we devote a little time to it each day.