A great model for helping the helpless.

Last year I spent a week in Nashville after they were hit by a huge flood. There was an an increase in the number of homeless people which which resulted in the construction of a huge social services building in downtown Nashville. There were churches and social services organizations helping people everywhere. A homeless individual could find services at multiple places throughout the city. I was fortunate to work with a food bank and some of the churches and shelters.

I started thinking about my own neighborhood - The Conejo Valley, CA. I wondered what sort of services were available here.

At the time I knew that my church offered full services every Wednesday. This includes meals and an overnight shelter. I now have come to understand that there is a network of churches in my local area that hosts shelter services once a week so services are provided every day of the week. 

The organizing group is Lutheran Social Services of Southern California and the program is called the:

Conejo Valley Meal and Shelter Program

Here is a quote from the site:
"A meal is offered every night at a different local Conejo Valley house of faith from 5:45 – 7:30.  All are welcome to attend.  December 1^st through March 31^st an overnight shelter at the same location is provided. Guests must check in between 5:45 and 8:00 and leave by 7:00am the following morning. Guests are treated with dignity and respect by dedicated church and synagogue volunteer teams."


Now that I have experienced this sort of network in Nashville and in my own city I wonder how many other cities are using this same model. It's a simple way to guarantee homeless services in a local community every night of the week. 

There are a few prerequisites to be able to host. You must have volunteers, a way to supply meals, a place to serve food, and an area for people to sleep. A lot of places (like my church) offer laundry, showers, toiletries, bedding, and air-mattresses as well.

Perhaps you know of a place that may be willing to offer these kinds of services or you would like to volunteer at one that does. I encourage you to look up a shelter in your area. Maybe you and some friends could volunteer once a month. Perhaps you would consider supporting these efforts financially.

Hopefully you are aware of the helpless population where you live. If not - that is a great place to start. Once you are familiar with the need there are ways to evoke change.