We hope you and your family had a nice holiday and that you may be able to help with two specific (and easy) projects. Now that our shelter season has officially launched, and with wet and cold weather upon us we NEED YOUR HELP to do two simple things that can expand our network and grow the interfaith movement exponentially.

In Review: In our first two years- thanks to you all- WFC has changed the way a community looks at and engages with its houseless community in Santa Clara County- by showing that a more dignified volunteer based approach of sheltering and that offering safe car parks is successful and VERY needed. (We have served over 700 individuals!) Taking our lead, in August a historic “Incidental Shelter Ordinance” unanimously passed in San Jose that allows sheltering in ALL places of assembly year round up to 50 people. The WFC-proposed “Shelter Outreach Initiative” (also unanimously passed) partnered WFC with each council member’s offices to help increase the number of shelters in order to serve more people and save more lives. Many council member’s held their own events to promote this effort which has yielded renewed interest. In Nov. we began to host a series of workshops to educate new communities about sheltering and help them get started which- has already yielded more communities coming on board.

1.) FIRST EASY TASK: New “Introduction to Sheltering” workshops have been scheduled for Tues. Jan. 16 at 7pm, Sun. Jan. 21 at 2pm, and Mon. Feb. 5 at 6:30pm. Please share the information below on the workshops to the following:

• With your personal contacts on social media- (especially other faith communities or assembly sites.)
• In your community’s bulletin as insert, in their email newsletter, and on their social media sites.
• In an announcement during your worship service.

Intro to Sheltering Workshops

The Winter Faith Collaborative is an interfaith movement formed to serve, shelter and advocate for the houseless community in Santa Clara County. In our first two seasons we served over 700 individuals.

Consider these sobering facts:  There are over 7300 unhoused in Santa Clara County.  We sorely lack enough shelter beds. Space for families and women and children are especially needed.  The coroner’s report shows a 55% increase in deaths of the unhoused in 2016, with most of these due to exposure.

We help communities work together in coordinating: ~overnight shelters ~meals ~monetary & in-kind donations ~safe car parks ~volunteers ~daytime warming shelters

Please join us at one of the following events to see how you and your community can make a difference in people’s lives:

– Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 1550 Meridian Ave. San Jose 95125 Tuesday Jan. 16th at 7pm

~ Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 1550 Meridian Ave. San Jose 95125 Sunday Jan. 21st at 2pm

~ St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church 5100 Camden Ave. San Jose 95124 Monday, Feb. 5th at 6:30pm

2.) SECOND EASY TASK: Attend a special WFC meeting to launch our outreach team– Tues. Jan. 16 from 5:30-6:30 (in lieu of regular meeting) at Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. 1550 Meridian Ave. SJ. (If possible stay for Introduction to Workshop that begins at 7pm where we could use additional help.)

• We have developed an outreach plan to help interested communities decide how to plug into our network.
• We need volunteers to follow up with workshop attendees to answer questions, connect people or act as a mentor for new members.
  • You will be asked to make phone calls and emails (when it’s convenient for you) to a target list that we will provide. Suggested script will be provided if that is helpful.
• Our aim is to expand the network in many different ways- and include:
  • Joining men’s rotating shelter in SJ
  • Provide safe parking lots for those living in vehicles
  • Open daytime centers

FYI we will also be holding additional workshops for communities who already attended our introductory workshops on the following dates: Jan. 21 at 4pm at Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Feb. 24 at 1pm at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church. Here we will be covering more detailed questions and are designed for communities that have made a commitment to shelter but just need some extra guidance, space to answer questions and bounce ideas around.

Thank you for helping us in these two easy projects that will yield great benefit to the cause!