Shelter Services
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When we meet the people who come to our night shelter, they may be out of options and have nowhere else to go. The transformation we see in people often starts here.
We evaluate each person and help them develop short, intermediate and long-term goals through case management services — individual and group therapy, continuing education, substance abuse and addiction treatment referrals, mental health treatment referrals, and life skills training.
We believe in “sweat equity,” so every resident pitches in — cleaning floors and bathrooms, making beds and keeping personal possessions in order. Everybody has to take responsibility for the well-being of community.
Transitional Housing
As people confront issues they face and make progress with our case management services, they can move from the night shelter into our transitional housing unit. Our case management expectations rise as they prepare to leave the program and lead independent lives again.
This program requires participation in our on-site educational programs, including:
- Credit counseling
- Budgeting
- Job training
- Parenting
- AA/NA meetings
This program reminds us that “success” means different things to different people. Here, success occurs on a smaller scale, in the form of not getting deeper in debt, showing up for job training or making it to an AA or NA meeting.
Transitional Housing — Residential Staff
Working as paid staff members offers people the opportunity to build a credible work history, earn a job reference and develop the life skills necessary to succeed. Individuals working as residential staff assume supervisory responsibilities responsibilities for shelter operations – kitchen work, transportation, working the night desk, laundry, shelter monitoring, etc.
Our residential staffers also serve as role models for residents, showing them how it’s possible to come here with nothing but problems, and then learn how to solve each of them.
Community Kitchen
The Community Kitchen serves the nutritious meals that too many men, women and children in our community need, but can’t typically afford or find on their own. We prepare and serve meals three times daily to feed those in need, including breakfast for people staying in our night shelter and transitional housing units, and lunch and dinner for those in need within the community.
The Community Kitchen always needs the basics — eggs, coffee, canned goods, pasta, rice, fresh fruit and vegetables. And serving 94,000 meals a year, we can always use a hand!
Nurse Clinic
Our nurse clinic is open daily to provide residents with preventive care and access to prescription medications. The homeless, working poor and mentally ill typically can’t afford these essential medications or struggle to stick with drug therapies.
Good health, like food, shelter and clean clothes, makes more things possible. Helping our residents take better care of their health is an important step in their recovery.
The Clothing Closet
The people we serve frequently come to us with only the clothes on their backs. We use community donations to pass on clothing to those in need. We also pass on various household items when people leave our programs and move into their own homes.
Our clothing inventory comes as a surprise when visitors first see it, but items go out as fast as they come in. If you’d like to donate clothing or household goods (small appliances, cookware, plates, cups, dishes or silverware, we’ll make sure it goes to people who need it.