BLOC Ministries โ Organization Profile
BLOC Ministries is a Christian nonprofit organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio, focused on neighborhood-based ministry, relationship building, and practical support for vulnerable students, adults, and families. The organization states its mission as โbuilding relationships with our neighbors and sharing hope in brokenness.โ BLOC was started in 1998 by Dwight and Stephanie Young after years of youth ministry work among students and adults facing broken neighborhoods, limited support systems, and barriers to stability.
The ministry serves communities in Cincinnati, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Louisville, Kentucky, with a strong emphasis on staff living in the neighborhoods where they serve. BLOCโs public materials describe the ministry as creating connections and safe spaces for students, families, and adults to thrive in difficult circumstances. Its work includes programs for youth, men, women, families, immigrants, people affected by addiction or trafficking, and neighbors needing food, housing support, job training, mentoring, and spiritual care.
BLOC operates through several ministry pillars: womenโs ministry, menโs ministry, student ministry, community ministry, and job training. Its womenโs ministry includes Weightless Anchor, Redeemed Home, and jail ministry for women impacted by addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and survival sex. Its student ministry includes mentoring, tutoring, character-building, sports, after-school programs, and residential support. The organization also describes community programs such as Side by Side, For His Glory Food Pantry, Farm to Table, Horses on the Hill, and the Ola Immigrant Welcome Center.
A distinctive part of BLOCโs model is living where it serves and building long-term, personal relationships rather than operating only as a service provider. The organization says its staff live and raise their families alongside the people they serve, and many staff members raise support in a missionary-style model. BLOC has also developed job-training businesses and programs designed to help hard-to-employ teens and adults learn practical skills, gain work experience, and move toward stability.
BLOCโs impact pages describe work that includes serving women through a day shelter, providing food through For His Glory Food Pantry, training students through the Teaching Kitchen, offering healthy food access through Farm to Table, assisting immigrant families through the Ola Immigrant Welcome Center, and providing equine-assisted learning through Horses on the Hill. These programs combine practical care with mentoring, recovery support, education, and relational ministry.
People can engage with BLOC Ministries by volunteering, joining a mission team, applying for staff roles, giving to the general fund, supporting specific programs, donating through its online giving platform, or contacting the organization about local involvement. Churches, schools, groups, and individuals can also participate through BLOC Missions, which provides short-term service experiences in Cincinnatiโs Price Hill community.
Key Links
- Website: https://www.onebloc.org/
- About BLOC: https://www.onebloc.org/aboutbloc
- Founders: https://www.onebloc.org/founders
- BLOCโs Impact: https://www.onebloc.org/blocsimpact
- Womenโs Ministry: https://www.onebloc.org/women
- Student Ministry: https://www.onebloc.org/students
- Community Ministry: https://www.onebloc.org/community-ministry
- Job Training: https://www.onebloc.org/job-training
- BLOC Missions: https://www.onebloc.org/missions
- Donate: https://onebloc.kindful.com/
Contact Information
- Email: do*******@*****oc.org
- Phone: 513-250-5722
- Mailing address: 911 W 8th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45203
Socials
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloc_ministries
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blocministries
Leadership
- Dwight Young โ Founder
- Stephanie Young โ Founder
- Walter Vasquez โ Director of Hispanic/Latino Outreach
