We Need Your Help
Shouts of Grace Church in Grover Beach is gearing up to help the 5Cities Homeless Coalition build a new Community Center.
Needs: Donation of all kinds, Volunteers to help sort items on Friday night, and Volunteers to work the Rummage Sale on Saturday
When: May 5th
Where: 675 Grand Ave Grover Beach, CA 93433
Time: 8am-2pm
Other: We will be taking donations at the church – Thursday, May 3rd – from 2-9pm and Friday, May 4th – from 8am-8pm.
Why the Homeless Coalition?
San Luis Obispo County has 3,774 individuals without permanent housing – 49% of these homeless people are children. The number of workers in the county with income below the poverty level is 28%, double the California state average of 14%. Of adults aged 18 to 64 in the county, 23% have no health insurance. The Food Bank Coalition will put close to 6 million pounds of food on local tables in 2011. The number of homeless students in kindergarten through 12th grade in San Luis Obispo County has more than doubled in the past four years. Over 50% of the county’s 1,847 homeless children are 10 years old or younger.The San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation received a $1.5 Million bequest to address homelessness in the South County area. The 5Cities Homeless Coalition, a local non-profit committed to empowering the homeless to become self-sufficient, was selected by the Foundation as the lead organization for the project and recipient of the funding for this collaborative project
Who is Hosting: The Rummage Sale will be hosted at Shouts of Grace Church in Grover Beach
Who to Contact: Shouts of Grace – Phone: 805.474.5729 – Email: info@shoutsofgrace.com
Items to Donate: We are looking for any gently used items; including but not limited to… clothes and shoes, electronics, furniture, paintings, books, household items, appliances, backpacks, sporting gear, toys, bikes… and whatever else you think will sell.
The 5Cities Homeless Coalition is partnering with Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in a pilot program to provide safe overnight parking for those homeless who must sleep in their vehicles. Based on a successful program in Santa Barbara County, the new program is the first in San Luis Obispo County.
While it is a common belief that many people who end up homeless do so because of their lack of interest in keeping a steady job, the truth is that many homeless people were actually working at the time they lost their homes. This may have happened because their work hours were reduced, they became ill or had some major financial hurdle that made it impossible for them to cover their rent, despite them being employed.
We’d like to extend our thanks to our friends at Nipomo Community Presbyterian Church, and the many businesses and community members who donated items and attended our event, held on February 12th. Thanks to the effort and support of many community members, the event raised over $7,000!
Nipomo Community Presbyterian Church
Edna Valley Vineyard
Janet Harshbarger
During one Nipomo native’s struggle with homelessness, he did everything he could to sleep standing up.