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You may have heard that Bridges of Hope is teaming up with Salem WEST to serve our clients better. As many of you know, Salem WEST is a ministry of Salem Lutheran Church in Deerwood, MN. They have been serving the community for nearly 20 years and have worked closely with Bridges of Hope for the past 11 years. Conversations have been taking place between their director Greg and myself for a couple of years now, and recently, those conversations culminated in a plan for action that will better serve our clients.
Effective April 1, 2013, Salem WEST will begin using a new intake and referral process. Clients wishing to access services from Salem WEST will now contact Bridges of Hope to complete an intake form that enables us to help them resolve the challenges they face. Salem WEST will no longer directly accept requests & referrals, as they had in the past. The new process to request support is still very simple and convenient: those in need should contact Bridges directly at 218.825.7682 or toll-free at 888.750.7682.
Salem WEST is still extremely committed to their mission of accepting and distributing quality material goods for those in need. The only change is that Bridges of Hope will deliver the intake & screening process for Salem WEST. This will help ensure that clients are served in a well-rounded manner, with Bridges of Hope’s well-established multi-faceted approach to each situation. Someone may contact us for furniture, and through our intake process we may be able to identify other needs and direct the household to additional helpful resources.
If you work with clients who could benefit from the services of Salem WEST or Bridges of Hope, simply encourage them to call us at 218.825.7682 or 888.750.7682. As always, part of our referral process usually includes requesting a release of information to other agencies they are working with so we can talk with other professionals directly about the household’s situation. The better we can all communicate with each other, the better off the whole community will be. Please help us by spreading the word to your co-workers and your professional network.
To make a gift to support this important work, visit Bridges of Hope’s website and click “Donate Now” or mail a check to Bridges of Hope, PO Box 742, Brainerd, MN 56401. Your donation is 100% tax deductible and will help us change lives in the Lakes Area. Thank you for your partnership.