Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry

To promote the development of local congregations in their efforts to bridge the neighborhood gap between churches and communities, promote family development, youth leadership and education, and to provide a variety of job placement and work experience services to underprivileged families and individuals.The Good Neighbor Center was established in 1968 at Chollas View United Methodist Church in South East San Diego. The Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry's Board of Directors wanted to establish a center in the area where they could serve many people with the greatest amount of need. It was called the 'Good Neighbor' Center because it was recognized as 'good' place to go in the 'neighborhood'. It was a drop-in site for adults and families offering activities and small classes, as well as emergency food and clothing assistance. In 1987, the Reverend, Dr. Russ Locke, pastor of Nestor United Methodist Church, contacted Rev. James Mishler, former director of METRO, expressing a need for a second Good Neighbor Center to serve the South Bay Communities. So, the Nestor Good Neighbor Center opened its doors in November 1998 to serve the South Bay community with Gary D. Podschun as its first director. PROJECT EMPOWER/FEXO - A pre-post release workforce development program designed to improve the long term labor market prospects of juvenile offenders ages 14-21. Proposed services target female ex-offenders, however services will be provided to both male and female ex-offenders with a history of abuse, family turmoil, early puberty, learning disabilities and school failure, mental health and substance abuse issues. CLEAN SLATE/FACE FORWARD - Serves juvenile offender 16-24. This is a diversionary program with an expungement enhancement. The underpinnings of this approach will be Transformational Leadership - a four phase leadership development model, and will include mentoring with community and sector leaders, cognitive behavioral work place skills, community service learning and case management services-allowing young people to improve the long term labor market prospects. NEIGHBORHOOD COLLEGE - A workforce development program designed to provide capacity - building assistance to non-profit and faith based agencies, improving the long-term labor market prospects of juvenile offenders and in-school youth at risk of offending ages 14-21, targeting youth residing in high crime, high poverty areas. Metro will focus the efforts in 3 cities within the States of California, Arizona, and Georgia, each bearing high poverty and high crime statistics.MENTORING (Department of Justice and Esperanza) - Works with children in San Diego County with academic and behavior issues, and matches them with positive adult role models and mentors through in and out of school activities.