Hello friends of and advocates for our Davis homeless neighbors,
As many of you know, for the past several years HEART of Davis (formerly Interfaith Rotating Winter Shelter) has participated in the successful implementation of the Winter Shelter program, along with many other agencies, faith-based organizations, volunteers, community members and the City of Davis. Previously a city-owned house on Fifth Street served as a congregate shelter for up to 10 people at a time, and 10-20 rooms at the local Hi Wheel Flats Motel provided non-congregate shelter for those who had underlying medical or mental health issues. HEART coordinates the meals and supplies for the congregate shelter, relying on volunteers to provide a hot meal every evening.
The Fifth Street house is no longer useable, so this year, there are two small rooms, each with two sets of bunkbeds (a total of 8 shelter beds) provided by Davis Community Meals and Housing at Paul’s Place. Due to City budget constraints, there will only be 8 rooms available at the motel. HEART of Davis would like to supplement those rooms with two additional rooms for a total of ten. For this purpose, we have created a “Compassion Fund.”
The Winter Shelter season runs for approximately 120 nights. If we provide 2 rooms per night, we have a total of 240 nights that need to be covered. Motel rooms cost approximately $80-100/night, depending on size and amenities. So we need to raise $19,200-$24,000.
If you are able and willing to donate to the Compassion Fund, please use this link: of Davis. Alternatively, you can send a check to: HEART of Davis, c/o Davis Community Church, 412 C Street, Davis, CA 95616. Your donations will be put to direct use (no administrative costs will be diverted from the total donation). If we are able to raise more than needed for 240 nights, we will continue to add as many rooms as possible.
The funds will be given to the Davis St. James Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. They provide direct aid to neighbors in need including food, housing, and other needs as they have funds available. They have a dedicated ministry to our neighbors in Davis experiencing homelessness and have established an efficient process for providing motel rooms to those who need them. They are always looking for volunteers. See the attached flyer if you are interested.
Please feel free to ask questions or make comments. You can contact us at heartofdavis@gmail.com.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Shoshana Zatz, President
HEART of Davis
ANYONE CAN JOIN St. Vincent de Paul and PROVIDE DIRECT SUPPORT TO DAVIS NEIGHBORS IN NEED AND OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS!
- We need you! Our volunteer base can’t manage the large need, many of us tend towards elderly and have had medical and other issues, we are struggling to keep up and desperately need more help.
- Our work is based in our Catholic spirituality but being Catholic, Christian, or religious is not required to become an associate member
- Every month, our volunteers answer dozens of calls and provide direct aid to neighbors in need, including rent payments, PG&E, city utilities, food, and more. We also refer to other organizations that can help as well.
- The St. James Davis Conference directly supports neighbors living right here in Davis. You receive training and work as a team: you can cover a week at a time or just a few days.
Please spread the word, and encourage people to become a Vincentian. If you have questions or want to attend our meeting or consider joining, please contact us at davissvdp@gmail.com or Jay Norvell at 530-792-8499.
For more information, go to https://www.svdpdavisstjames.org/.
