Do you ever wish you could just wake up one day, tie on your sneakers and run from your problems?

For two years, one organization has been helping homeless citizens run toward solutions by not only helping them find a new home, but by getting them in shape as well.

"Running has really been a healing force in my life," said Anne Mahlum, 28, the founder and president of Back On My Feet, a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless through a strict regiment of early morning running.

Mahlum said she got the idea for BOMF after a early morning run that led her past the Ministries of Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission at 13th and Vine streets.

To her, running always was a means of therapy. She had started running regularly at 16 as a way to deal with stress at home. For years, Mahlum said, her father had struggled with a gambling problem.

"I spent the majority of my teenage years trying to fix my father," she said. "I turned toward running to deal with that stress."

After seeing homeless men outside the shelter during her morning runs, Mahlum said she wondered if jogging could also help the homeless people she passed by every day.

She contacted the mission and, after some preliminary hesitation to her new idea, she was allowed to set up a running program.

Initially, she had nine participants. Since then, the organization has grown to become a 170-member group with two offices, one here in Philadelphia the other in Baltimore, Md.

All those involved with BOMF must be drug-free, must quit smoking and must participate in scheduled practices.

The group takes homeless team members along on runs that range from a mile or two to full 26-mile marathons. Beyond the obvious health benefits, the aim is to build responsibility and goal-oriented thinking, as well as provide all involved with a rejuvenated sense of self-worth.

"This is much more than a running club," she said when asked how something as simple as running could help the city's homeless population. "Running is the core, but this is not a cookie-cutter program."

Mahlum said that, while structured, the program is set up so that those who sign up are able to take the training regimen at their own pace. The simple act of getting up regularly to attend a run with others - homeless or otherwise - is a solid starting point for those who need to get their lives back in order, said Mahlum.

Also, by participating in a run with volunteers and other members of BOMF, Mahlum said homeless individuals could be able to feel important and empowered by taking control of their lives.

"Running provides a lot of structure," she said. "The basic human needs are food and shelter. But, everyone also has a need to feel loved and respected. Whether you're a member or nonresidential member (of BOMF), it doesn't matter out there. It sort of gives you the opportunity to start over."

Through the BOMF program, which is funded by donations and a variety of federal grants, homeless participants are able to obtain small amounts of grant funding in increments that follow their progressions in the program.

The more they show they are willing to get up and train hard every day, the more they can receive in weekly stipends.

For example, after one month of involvement, homeless participants each might receive $100 a month in funding, but if they stick with the program, they each could eventually receive up to $1,250 per month. These are funds that could be used toward finding homes, landing jobs or supporting their families, said Mahlum.

"The funding is there to help them move their lives forward," said Mahlum.

Juan Medina, 30, said he has been homeless for some time after his family kicked him out due to his dependence on drugs and alcohol.

The native Puerto Rican had been living with family in Kensington until he was displaced, and he said he found out about BOMF after visiting the Philadelphia Brotherhood Rescue Mission at 401 E. Girard Ave.

In his struggle with drugs and alcohol, Medina said, he found the BOMF runs were very therapeutic and, after a few days, he loved the exercise, and his life has improved ever since.

"It's something I never saw myself doing. But, after a few days, I really enjoyed it," said Medina about the running program. "Everyone here is really friendly. When I'm here, I feel like I'm home. It makes me feel like a person."

Since he began the program earlier this year, Medina said the new sense of discipline that it has instilled in him has enabled him to find a new place to live in North Philly and now he's planning on studying to obtain his G.E.D.

Medina is just one of the almost 25,000 homeless men and women in Philadelphia and Mahlum said his story is just one of the many tales of turnarounds and successes that have been fostered by BOMF. Still, she says she has much more to do.

Her concern, she said, is that the homeless in the city have been relegated to something of a second-class society, as if most residents consider them a blight on society.

She wants to see that mindset changed.

"We want to bring together people who are homeless and people who can help the homeless," said Mahlum. "We want the entire population talking about homelessness. (Homelessness) is an issue we have branded negatively, but we can change that. We're all in this together."

To elicit this need for change, BOMF has teamed with state Sen. Larry Farnese (D-1st dist.) to host a forum on Tuesday, July 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Independence Visitor Center at 6th and Market streets.

Farnese, contacted last week, said he hopes city residents turn out en masse for the forum, because he sees homelessness as a serious concern throughout the city. He said it's a problem that may only get worse with the national economy tanking and many people losing their homes to foreclosure.

The senator said the city's homeless population grew three percent last year. That statistic, he said, is a reason homelessness is an issue should be tackled now.

"We need to raise awareness about homelessness, and I'm looking to attack homelessness from a different perspective," he said of his support of BOMF.

"(Homelessness) tears at the fabric of what a city should be. If we don't address this, then it will always be a problem."

Reporter Hayden Mitman can be reached at 215-354-3124 or hmitman@phillynews.com

A discussion on homelessness

Back On My Feet, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit homelessness prevention organization has teamed up with Pennsylvania state Senator Larry Farnese (D-1st dist.) to present a forum on homelessness.

The forum will be held on Tuesday, July 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Independence Visitor Center at 6th and Market streets.

The senator will join BOMF's president and founder Anne Mahlum to lead the forum.

The event is free and open to the public.