N E W S 

Eagle Scout candidate Glen Johnson finishes up a new trellis and enhanced landscaping at the El Nido apartments as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Kim Weijola was one of three Teague Insurance Agency volunteers who helped out at the annual ISN phonathon Monday, Nov. 16 and Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Candy Harris and Eileen Robarge enjoy the fruits of their labors having helped organize the successful fund-raiser.

Participants walked from the San Diego Rescue Mission and stopped at various sites before gathering outside the County Administration Building near dusk for prayer and song.

Network depends on generosity lf many donors for success stories

"As the Interfaith Shelter Network Rotational Shelter Program is now conducting its 24th season of providing emergency shelter to homeless men, women, and children through the generosity of more than 120 faith communities, I want to express the gratitude of the 250 homeless men, women, and children whom our 4,000 volunteers fed and sheltered last winter and spring as well as the 11 families who stayed at our  El Nido Transitional Living Program for homeless battered women and their children.  

More than half of  our shelter guests moved into more permanent shelter after their stay in our Rotational Shelter Program, and many of the adults left with increased income from employment or assistance programs for which they qualified. In the past 23 years, we have housed more than 7,500 individuals and provided 182,000 bed nights of shelter. Our El Nido families continue to meet and exceed their goals of permanent housing, self-sufficiency, and recovery from the trauma of domestic violence.  

I want to introduce you to some our success stories in the past year:

- Mr. S, a recent divorcee, came to Community Resource Center in our North County Coastal branch, seeking shelter.  With the help of the Interfaith Shelter Network, which provided him with a home and a warm meal, Mr. S was able to effectively work towards his goals.  In just three weeks he not only found employment, but he also obtained a living situation in which he received free housing in exchange for part time work.  Mr. S now has a place of his own where his teenage son can visit.

-Community Christian Service Agency, our Clairemont branch case management agency, worked with  a single mother with a son, 11, and a 16 year-old autistic daughter. The mother was attending community college classes to improve her job skills. She and her children were accepted into the St. Vincent de Paul Village housing program.  

-In our El Nido transitional housing program for homeless battered women with children, Judith and her two sons moved into affordable housing after she completed her high school diploma while in the program. Three other mothers who graduated in June left with savings accounts and moved into permanent housing as well.  

The Rotational Shelter Program is currently the only available emergency winter shelter program in East County and South Bay while providing a significant contribution to available winter shelter beds in other regions of the county. While we receive essential financial support from the city and the county for the Rotational Shelter Program,  private and corporate donations remain our largest single source of revenue--$103,000 of our $221,465 annual budget. We have hired a second full-time person in our administrative offices to provide community outreach for the Rotational Shelter Program this year. For the El Nido transitional housing program for homeless battered women and children, we need to raise about $100,000 to supplement funding from HUD.           

Please consider sending a donation "

Robert Whiting, chair, Interfaith Shelter Network Governing Committee

Four of seven shelter branches now open

By the third week in December, four of the seven branches of the Interfaith Shelter Network Rotational Shelter Program will be open.

Nancy Toti, community outreach coordinator for the Rotational Shelter, is visiting all shelter sites and meeting with case managers at their agency offices as well as setting up visits by city of San Diego city council members or their staff representatives and members of the county board of supervisors in the coming months.

"It is important for our elected officials to recognize the valuable work being done by our shelter staff, participating congregations, and the thousands of volunteers who help out at one or more of our shelter sites during the months we are open," added Joe Zilvinskis, Rotational Shelter coordinator.

"Like other non-profits, we are concerned when local government funders threaten to reduce funding for programs like ours, especially when the need for our services is more acute than ever."

  ISN shelter couple say thanks for the help

Joe, Kay, and their now four-year-old daughter will be moving to Sacramento shortly but called the ISN to say thanks after their stay in the program three years ago. “We were treated with love, respect and kindness, and we will never forget the wonderful people at the shelters who helped us get back on our feet”

$248,000 El Nido rehab underway with assist from Eagle Scout landscaping project 

The rehabilitation of the El Nido apartments is well underway, reports contractor Norm Johnson. Each of the units will receive new kitchen counters, bathroom and kitchen plumbing fixtures, sanded and repainted cabinets, new front doors and locks, new medicine cabinets, dual paned windows and sliding doors, interior painting, new interior door handles and a host of other improvements.

In addition, Johnson is constructing new benches in the tot play area in the interior courtyard. His son, Glen Johnson, an Eagle Scout candidate, replaced landscaping at the front of the project and installed new plants, a raised planter and raffia structure to the left of the front entrance.

"This building is now almost 40 years old," explained Rosemary Johnston, ISN Program Director, "and much of its infrastructure is in need of replacement and repair." The project is being funded by a $248,000 redevelopment grant from the city of San Diego .

"In the past four years, we have replaced the roofing, rerouted the hot water pipes from the slab to the exterior of the building, and  installed security cameras and cable to all 11 units," Johnston said, "thanks to support from Las Patronas, the San Diego Interfaith Housing Foundation, In n Out Burger Foundation, County Employees Charitable Organization, and other donors." Johnson said he hopes to complete the rehab effort by late spring of 2010. Families in the project move into a vacant apartment unit as their unit begins to undergo construction and repair.

Phonathon nets $10,000 for ISN

The Interfaith Shelter Network's annual phonathon event Nov. 16 and 17 netted almost $10,000 with many more donations anticipated in the next few months. The Network's annual fundraising campaign usually nets $16,000, and many more donors send in donations toward the end of the year than may pledge over the phone.

The phonathon was conducted at the offices of VEBA in Mission Valley . The Network is grateful for the participation of the following phonathon volunteers:Loretta Austin, Richard Gordon, Doug Brunson, Bob Whiting, Dawn Augustine, Kim Weijola, Belinda Mitchell, Rev. John Huber, Rev. Wayne Sanders, Rev. Dr. Richard Freeman, and Rev. Tim Tiffany.

El Nido beauty night brings smiles to moms

Thanks to a great group of volunteer hair stylists, cosmetic consultants, and a  volunteer trained in healing touch, mothers enrolled in the Interfaith Shelter Network's El Nido Transitional Housing Program enjoyed an evening of hair styling, free cosmetics demonstration, glamour photos and neck and shoulder massages. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church provided dinner and new purses filled with cosmetics and hygiene items. Volunteers included Leticia Rivera, Imelda Jackson, Christina Gomez, Ania Gerstenberg,  Penny Valentine, Lisa Wintersdorf, Marla McBride, and Caroline Escobosa.

'Sips for Shelter' deemed a success

The Interfaith Shelter Network's first annual Sips for Shelter benefit drew almost 100 supporters to the San Diego Marriott Del Mar Thursday, Oct. 8 . Six tasting tables awaited participants, and a blind tasting contest drew more than a dozen contestants.

"We are grateful to the Marriott, Barona Band of Mission Indians, wine broker Brad Bruce, board member and event coordinator Eileen Robarge, and everyone who contributed to the success of the event," Bob Whiting, chair of the ISN Governing Committee said.

"And we're already planning for our second one next October." Proceeds from the event benefited the Network's El Nido Transitional Housing Program for homeless battered women with children

In-N-Out Burger donates $5,000 to El Nido Program

The In n Out Burger Foundation recently awarded $5,000 to the Interfaith Shelter Network El Nido program to help fund new front doors and locks at the apartment site where 11 homeless battered women with children reside during their 12-18 month stay in the El Nido program.

In the past two years, the foundations has paid for the installation of cable that made possible the installation of a security system at the El Nido apartments and for the children's enrichment program at the project.

Homeless deaths vigil remembers 58 who died on San Diego streets

The Interfaith Shelter Network participated in planning the annual homeless deaths vigil in downtown San Diego Sunday, Nov. 1.

Participants gathered at the San Diego Rescue Mission and processed to the San Diego County Administration Building after stops at First Lutheran Church , First Presbyterian Church and the Monarch School .

More than 150 people participated as they prayed together for the 58 homeless people who died on the streets of San Diego in the past year.

Participants carried 58 pairs of shoes and placed them on the steps of the administration building as interfaith leaders recited prayers in memory of those who had died.

LOCAL PRESS CUTTINGS

Recent rains push winter shelters near limits -- Dec 15, 2009 by Cigi Ross
A series of heavy storms and chilly overnight temperatures have nearly maxed out regional homeless shelters as people seek respite and a warm bed, organizers said this week....(More)

From homelessness to sharing the stage -- Jul 17, 2008 by Michelle D Anderson
Two years ago, Edith Espinoza would have never imagined that she would one day share the stage with the president of the United States...(More)

La Jolla Churches work together to help neighbors in need -- Jan 17, 2008 by Gina McGalliard
Although differences in religion sometimes divide people, those of different faiths can also come together to work for a common purpose...(More)

Cities, agencies joined for a regional solution -- Jan 13, 2008 by Linda Lou
The sun had gone down, and the air was getting chilly. But several dozen homeless men and women knew they had a cot...(More)