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We are a 501c(3) non-profit organization; 100% of donations go directly toward providing services. Tax ID# 46-4162394
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We are a 501c(3) non-profit organization; 100% of donations go directly toward providing services. Tax ID# 46-4162394
News & Events
How Are We Helping During the COVID Crisis?
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How to help those experiencing homelessness during this challenging time is a question that has weighed heavily on our hearts. We have landed on an alternative that we are excited about.
This new program is called Elk Grove HART’s WINSIP (Winter Shelter in Place). It will start on October 5, 2020 and run through March of 2021. Our plan is to deliver meals and necessities to the homeless at their locations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In addition to food we will be distributing many other items to help them get through the winter. Christy Cares will continue to offer meals at United Methodist Church on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
We are happy to partner with the City of Elk Grove and accept financial support through the Cares Act. The Elk Grove Presbyterian Church has generously offered their church building where we will assemble the meals. We have been able to recruit a small band of experienced volunteers to help us prepare and distribute these meals and necessities.
We considered several factors that led us to this new program. In addition to addressing the safety needs of our volunteers, we also considered the scope of our efforts. Elk Grove HART’s WINSIP will serve approximately 65 of our homeless as opposed to the maximum of 20 served at our winter shelter. This model will also give us the opportunity to do wellness checks to further meet the needs of the homeless. We will be able to keep them fed and hydrated while keeping them in place and safe from COVID-19.
Our navigator will follow up on any concerns and provide opportunities to help them find housing. Many of our homeless have income from either their retirement or disability and are eligible for housing, but remain unconnected to other supportive resources. The navigator can also evaluate potential clients for our Grace and Meadow houses.
At this time, we feel the Elk Grove HART’s Winter Shelter in Place program is the best possible way we can prevent and respond to COVID-19. As the program unfolds, we look forward to keeping you updated on all the services being provided to those experiencing homelessness in Elk Grove.
Pulled In So Many Directions
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We are pulled in so many directions, often not knowing where to turn next. No one could have predicted this quarantine, a lockdown. Lockdowns are usually associated with a punishment while in prison, but this one is meant to save our lives. Most of us are hunkered down in our houses, but what do you do when you have no home?
In the best of times the homeless struggle with life. It’s scary out there, exposed to the elements. They seldom get a good night's sleep, which leads to exhaustion and an inability to cope with everyday tasks that we take for granted. Enter the COVID-19 pandemic. The streets are cleared and the few people that are out are wearing masks. There is a tangible tension in the air. The homeless are only able to catch pieces of what is going on and without TVs or newspapers they are dependent on rumors. Many are fearful, but just as many think it’s a hoax and ignore all of the craziness that is going on around them. Either way it is affecting them. Most of the community lunches are shut down, the biweekly showers have ended, the laundromats are locked and the recycling centers are closed, drying up their income.
Recognizing this desperate situation, HART has distributed informational street sheets to help inform the homeless of how they can better protect themselves and those in our community. We have joined with the City and police department to strategize how to best protect this vulnerable population. How do you comply with a shelter in place order when you have no home? HART’s mission is to take care of their basic needs, with food being of the highest priority. With the help of a team of volunteers, a meal delivery program has been quickly implemented. In spite of many challenges, it has been working beautifully to deliver daily meals to Elk Grove’s homeless. We are happy to report that so far, our homeless are healthy and very appreciative of the care being shown to them by our community.
HART is grateful to have this opportunity to show compassion when it is needed the most. We don't expect to ‘cure’ all homelessness, but what we do recognize is that people need to be given the opportunity to change. Showing them care and compassion is a great way to help gain their trust and demonstrate that we only want the best for them.
Please join us in being part of the solution by donating on the Big Day of Giving, May 7th. You can go to https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/elkgrovehart to give now.
It is rare to be able to give to an all-volunteer organization where 100% of your donation goes back into Elk Grove. Thank you for your generosity!
A Storm in the Forecast?
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We are all feeling the pressure, the compression from the stay at home order. In the Natomas area three teenagers have died by suicide. If you didn’t have a firm foundation before all of this chaos started, you most likely don’t have one now.
Frankly, what lies ahead looks daunting and overwhelming, just like it did 10 years ago. Elk Grove was one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, set up to crash hard. The housing market dropped and Elk Grove experienced a whole new population of people without housing, including construction workers, plumbers, electricians and new homeowners.
We started HART 10 years ago knowing that we somehow needed to help. We have come a long way since then and are now much more prepared for the storm that may be on its way. I would naively like to believe that there is no storm in the forecast, but I don’t think that is the case. In the last week alone, Elk Grove HART received calls from three families that have recently been displaced, two due to domestic violence.
As we brace for this storm, we are working closely with the City Of Elk Grove, area churches, other nonprofits, Elk Grove Food Bank Services and Sacramento Self Help Housing. We are a united front that will work together and take this on one day at a time, one family at a time, one person at a time. This is not a time to be fearful but a time to look back and celebrate the fact that we did it once and we can definitely do it again - this time even better!
Please join us and be part of the solution by giving on the Big Day of Giving, May 7th. You can go to the website at https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/elkgrovehart and make your donation anytime between now and May 7. Thank you for your compassion and generosity.
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