Providing safe, non-congregate shelter continues to be a daily challenge for our Housing Team. While the need far outweighs the resources, we are as committed as ever to providing food, clothing, shelter, and permanent housing.
Requests for all of our services, from utilities to shelter, are at higher volumes than we have ever seen. In the first 90 days of this fiscal year, we have provided emergency shelter to 110 people- almost all the total number of individuals sheltered last year. Yet, the calls for assistance continue to increase—we have received 96 calls for shelter just from September to October. Our case managers are working hard and getting creative to ensure people transition from shelter to housing as quickly as possible. Positive permanent housing outcomes and stability are a priority. Right now, we have 24 individuals in the process of moving into their new homes before the holidays. Financial support and move-in packages (found on our wishlists) are greatly appreciated!
Many of you follow us on social media and have seen that our food supply has been critically low in the past few weeks. We need about 6,000 pounds of food each week to keep serving the families who come for food assistance. A typical food drive weighs around 2,000 pounds. We rely heavily on the community’s support for our food security programs, and your food drives make a big difference. Let us know if you would like a donation bin to host a food drive by emailing [email protected].
As supply and delivery issues persist throughout the United States, we are started our Thanksgiving Turkey Fund and Christmas toy collection earlier this year. Check out our Amazon and Target registries or send us a donation and we can shop for you!
The needs are great and our staff and volunteers are working as hard as they can to keep families and individuals safe, fed, and sheltered as we enter the holiday season. Thank you for thinking of your neighbors in need and supporting them through your gifts of time, goods, and finances.
