Winter Relief Emergency Shelter Program
The Winter Relief Emergency Shelter Program continues to operate (its 8th year), even though funding is not secure. After four years of budget cuts in the public sector and reduced foundation grants, Abode Services is exploring new avenues of fund raising.
The Winter Relief Program grew out of the needs of families who were on the waiting list for Sunrise Village Homeless Shelter. As the waiting list continued to grow to over 102 families in August 2001, community leaders met with Abode Services staff to discuss how to help these families get through the cold, wet winter months.
Families are sheltered at night in the fellowship halls of local faith
communities for one month at a time and receive meals, classes and other
programs at Centerville Presbyterian Church in the evenings. They receive
breakfast and bag lunches from other faith community partners. Families receive
the same support services as the residents at Sunrise Village, working with a
case manager to begin to address the challenges that led to their homelessness.
As space becomes available at Sunrise Village, the families move there and free
up space for a new family to come into Winter Relief. The program provides
parenting classes and support groups as well as enrichment activities for the
children. Families have access to the HOPE Project Mobile Health Clinic for
basic primary and mental healthcare.
Many thanks to the following churches who are supporting Winter Relief in
2009/2010:
Host Churches
- Centerville Presbyterian Church
- Family Bible Fellowship
- Niles Congregational Church
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
- Saint James' Episcopal Church
- South Bay Community Church
- Corpus Christi Catholic Church
Partner Churches
- Christ the King Lutheran Church
- Filipino-American United Church of Christ
- Fremont Congregational Church
- Harbor Light Church
- Holy Spirit Catholic Church
- Newark First Presbyterian Church
- The Little Brown Church of Sunol