Spirit On The Margins

Here are some quotes from an interesting study that speak for themselves.

“Policy makers have become increasingly interested in using faith-based programs to intervene with highly at-risk populations.  This idea is generally supported by empirical evidence showing that individuals who score high on measures of religiosity and spirituality are more likely to exhibit prosocial behaviors.”

• Does a client’s faith or spirituality influence the treatment process? If so, how?
• Futhermore, does a client’s faith or spirituality affect program completion and other indicators of success? 

“The current study assessed the success of the Ridge House Residential Program, a faith-based prisoner reentry program in Reno Nevada, in retaining clients and examined the intermediate outcomes achieved by that program, including program satisfaction and self-rated treatment progress.”

Ridge House 

“Faith and spirituality infuse much of the program’s orientation, mostly through client contact with spiritual staff…Almost all house managers and clinical staff or counselors (93%) indicated that encouraging the religious and/or spiritual development of clients is very important to their program, and the majority of these respondents (53%) indicated that demonstrating God’s love to clients is very important.”

“When asked directly in informal interviews whether the adjective ‘religious’ describes Ridge House, program leaders stated that the program is more appopriately described as spiritual rather than religious…Spiritual growth is fostered through the general ethos of the program. In other words, faith and spirituality largely exist implicitly; nonreligious social services characterize their program.”

“Of the 92 clients who entered Ridge House, 30 (32.6%) did not complete the program. Eighteen clients reportedly left because they did not believe Ridge House would assist them in meeting their needs, 8 were discharged by the program because they were not following the established rules of Ridge House, and 4 were terminated either for a positive urine analysis or for using illegal drugs or drinking.  Most dropouts or terminations occurred during the first month of treatment; half of noncompleters left within 39 days of the progam, and 75% left within 52 days.  For clients who completed the program, the average number of days in the program was 86.9.”

“Logistic regression predicting program completion revealed only one significant predictor; homelessness.  Having ever been homeless decreased the likelihood of completion of Ridge House.”

“It should also be highlighted that clients were significantly more likely to remain in the program if they reported taht their prison experience gave them a new sense of a higher power.  Of the 62 clients who completed the program, more than three fourths (77.4%) indicated that prison gave them a new sense of higher power.  Additional analyses found that the majority of these clients (53%) were satisfied with the program, and all of them (100%) also felt that their new sense of higher power strengthened their belief that they could change their lives.”

“…this study did not include an examination of end outcomes such as relapse, rearrest, and reincarceration.” 

It is certainly an interesting study that seems to raise more questions than it resolves about the link between spirituality and changed social behavior. The study acknowledges that there is a lot more research to be done on this subject matter before more conclusions can be drawn.

Outcomes Faith Based Prison Reentry Program

Today I had the privilege of speaking at the adult education hour at Spirit of Hope UMC in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The talk was entitled, “What the Poor Can Do For Us”.

Spirit of Hope UMC

I talked about the role spirituality plays in giving meaning to our pain and suffering, whether we are rich or poor. We reviewed select City House outcome data that shows there is some connection between spirituality and changed social behavior.

Select City House outcomes data

Then we talked about how we can open ourselves to and be changed by those on the margins of our world. To emphasize the point, I played short video clips from the movie Dances With Wolves, starring Kevin Costner.

Dances With Wolves Synopsis

We also reviewed the 4 stages of spiritual growth that one goes through in working with the poor as postulated by Albert Nolan, a Dominican South African theologian.

Stages of Spiritual Growth in Working With the Poor

Then, Ulysses Snell, a City House program participant told his story and the importance of God and his spiritualty in his life. 

Ulysses contended that people think race is the issue, but that in his mind it is really about class differences - the “haves” and the “have nots” - that separate us. He said, “People think that people like me are only about wanting money, but it’s about just being with me, understanding me, and loving me for who I am - that’s what I want.” When Ulysses talked about his deceased mother, he began to tear up and had to stop.

Those in attendance were very respectful, warm, and welcoming. Several people afterwards went out of their way to thank Ulysses for sharing his story. We both felt quite welcomed.

After worshiping with the congregation, Ulysses and I went to lunch. I asked him for feedback about what I had said. He said, “To be honest with you Tom, I was falling asleep while you talked. I really didn’t know what you were trying to say about Dances With Wolves. You were showing them a story about Native Americans…? Whatever…I just decided to go with the flow.” Hmmm…another lesson in humility.

As I reflect on the morning, I feel so graced to have a friend like Ulysses. We just like spending time together.

The Wednesday night group that I lead is a permanent sober housing program where all residents have been homeless. I like to start each session with an opening meditation that is generically spiritual so that the group is inclusive of all faith traditions. One of my favorite sources is Today’s Gift, a daily e-mail I receive from Hazelden, well known for its chemical dependency treatment programs.  

Thought for the Day

I always end up rewriting parts of the reading though. They are from books written by middle and upper class people in recovery. While the participants in the group totally resonate with the ideas, they often will not understand the language.

So, weekly I am reminded about the breakthrough work of Ruby Payne, PhD. in Bridges Out of Poverty.  Books are written in what she calls a “formal register of language.”  That is the standard sentence syntax and word choice of work and school. It has complete sentences and specific word choice. 

Bridges Out of Poverty 

Persons in poverty use a “casual register of language.”  It is like the language between friends and is characterized by a 400 - 800 word vocabulary. Word choice is general and not specific. Conversation is dependent upon non-verbal assists. Sentence syntax is often incomplete.

I chuckle as I read this. I can’t tell you the number of sessions I have been in where the participants (persons that are poor) are in conversation with each other and I don’t have a clue what they are saying. Their non verbal cues and short hand language can leave me mystified, but they are all laughing at their insider jokes.

Of course I have also come to understand that this is their way of having fun with me. They love the fact that they know what is going on and I don’t. When I point that out to them, they start laughing and using their insider language all over again. I always feel honored by their trust when they begin to translate for me.

What have you learned about dealing with this “register of language” difference?

As part of City House’s research on spirituality and changed social behavior in our program participants, we are experimenting with some creative approaches to gathering data.  This is especially true when participant literacy may be limited.

On Friday, a group of City House volunteers and social service agency partners met to evaluate 2 proposed tools developed by our consultants, The Improve Group and funded by a grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation

 The 2 tools proposed were a pictorial diary and a collage instrument. The discussion was engaging and energetic. The general consensus was that the instruments were simple and fun to use and that we would learn a lot about program participant evaluation.

 Next steps are to pilot these instruments at social service agency sites.

Submitted by Tamie Koehler, City House program manager.

At City House, we have pulled together the collective wisdom of our volunteers. What spiritual growth do we see in the participants (people on the margins of society) with whom we walk? We have developed 2 logic models to describe that development. The first model describes what we see, hear and feel happening spiritually.

Participant (people on the margins) spiritual development

The second model describes what we see, hear and feel happening as that spiritual development begins to impact changed social behavior.

Participant behavior change

Our contention is that society can provide food, clothing, housing, and other resources for persons on the margins, but that we all (street and suburban persons alike) need a change of heart to take advantage of those resources.

To that end, a new model that we are just beginning to discuss and test attempts to describe the spiritual growth and development that takes place in the middle and upper class persons that enter into a relationship with the poor. It was developed by Albert Nolan, a Dominican theologian in South Africa.

Middle / Upper Class spiritual development model - working with the poor

Four Stages of Spiritual Growth Albert Nolan

It is our intent at City House to continually test outcomes of our work against these models.

Does your own experience of working with the poor confirm or challenge the validity of these models?

Can Religion Offset the Effects of Childhood Poverty (NYT)

Some professors have written a working paper entitled, “The Role of Religious and Social Organizations in the Lives of Disadvantaged Youth.” They tested the impact of religion on more than 20,000 children raised by disadvantaged parents.

“Overall, we find strong evidence that youth with religiously active parents are less affected later in life by childhood disadvantage than youth whose parents did not frequently attend religious services. These buffering effects of religious organizations are most pronounced when outcomes are measured by high school graduation or non-smoking and when disadvantage is measured by family resources or maternal education…”

While City House focuses on spirituality rather than religion, religion is often the form in which spirituality is experienced for many.