A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table builds on the previous personal efforts of Chrissy & Bob Stergos, who, over the course of their almost 45 years of marriage, invited five (5) other young men facing unusual hardships to live in their home for periods of 3 to 10 years at a time-with their four (4) sons by-birth.

Officially as a nonprofit since 2018, A Seat at the Table provides in a more systematic manner (as opposed to our largely organic/ad-hoc efforts previously) resources in a host couples' A Seat at the Table homes that help these at-risk 18 to 25-year old young adults grow to be independent adults. These resources include: educational, vocational and job and life-skills training, transportation, insurance, healthcare, grocery, spiritual and psychological counseling.

Two "residential" models are utilized to deliver the services provided through A Seat at the Table:

1.An A Seat at the Table-purchased duplex or large home in which married Christian couples serve as "host parents" for up to four (4) 18 to 25-year olds who have been selected from "nominating" partner churches and youth organizations.

2.An existing home in which a set of empty-nester married Christian parents (or even existing family with other kids still in the home) agree to take in at least one qualifying under-parented 18 to 25-year old.

Among the Partner Youth Organizations from which A Seat at the Table gains potential program participants are those with which Chrissy and Bob Stergos are already very familiar through our past youth-ministry work:

• LOVEtheLOU in north St. Louis (www.lovethelou.com)
• Boys Hope Girls Hope (https://boyshopegirlshopestl.org)
• R3 Development (www.r3dev.org)
• Urban K-Life in north St. Louis (www.urbanklife.com)
• Restoration House (https://restorationhousestl.org)
• Breakdown St. Louis (www.breakdownstl.org)
• Angels' Arms (https://angelsarms.org)

For our A Seat at the Table program participants, we utilize evidence-based and trauma-informed counseling as well as educational, vocational, job & life-skill training from "Partner Resource Providers" such as the following organizations to fully develop our participants into thriving young adults:

• CrossRoads Counseling and Covenant Theological Seminary Counseling
• Mission St. Louis' Beyond Jobs, Beyond School and Beyond Charity
• ElevateSTL
• STL Youth Jobs
• Employment Connection
• CyberUp
• NPower
• Area churches…and their college-age/young adult-focused ministries, i.e., Midtown Church, The Crossing, One Family Church, Living the Word church (East St. Louis), The Tabernacle church (north St. Louis), etc.
• Justine Petersen, Financial Peace University, Crown Financial (and other financial counseling programs)