Back on My Feet (BoMF) is a national for-purpose organization that uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make real change in their lives that results in employment and independent living.
The organization’s mission is not to create runners within the homeless population, but to use running to create self-sufficiency in the lives of those experiencing homelessness. The program’s success is measured by how many Members achieve independence through employment and housing.
Dedication to the program is laid at 5:45am, M-W-F at our three homeless facilities—Sarah’s Circle (Uptown), Lawson House YMCA (Loop) and St. Leonard’s (West Side). 10-15 Members who live in the facility come together with 10-20 volunteers from the community to run. They treat running as their job for the first 30 days where they build their soft skills such as team work, dedication, motivation and goal setting.
Once they maintain 90% attendance, Members move into our Next Steps professional development program of financial literacy classes and one-on-one training on workplace communication, interviewing, resume writing and online job searching. Our start line is our Members building confidence and their finish line is a job.
