Rummage Sale Fundraiser

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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.

Coalition Supports Safe Parking

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Safe ParkingThe 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.

Recently approved unanimously by the Planning Commission and City Council of Arroyo Grande as a temporary use permit for a six-month trial, the program will permit up to three vehicles to park overnight in the church parking lot in Arroyo Grande. Check-in will be 9 pm with departure by 7 am the following morning.

Potential participants in the program must be first processed by a case worker at Community Health Centers (another 5CHC partner) and then approved by the Arroyo Grande Police Department.  Only then will a permit be issued for overnight parking. There are strict rules for those parking.

To protect both the sleepers and the surrounding community, no outdoor cooking is permitted, and no laws may be broken.  A portable toilet and drinking water is provided at the site.

Any violation of the list of rules may result in immediate loss of parking privileges and departure.

The city approval followed a year of planning including visits to successful sites in Santa Barbara County, as well as consultation with city offices and officials.  All those living in the church neighborhood were invited to a meeting at Saint Barnabas to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal.

After addressing neighborhood concerns in the rules, the project was brought to the city for approval. There were both negative and positive comments presented, but the final vote was 5 to 0 in favor.  The project will be closely monitored, particularly at the beginning, to minimize impacts on the community.

From The President

April 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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 [...]

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Valentine’s Concert and Chocolate Buffet Great Success

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Valentine Concert Fundraiser with Rick Jarrett

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! A special thank goes out to Rick Jarrett [...]

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Area Coalition Forms to Help Homeless

October 26, 2009 By

By April Charlton/Senior Staff/Times Press Recorder a division of Lee Central Coast Newspapers When 36-year-old William Diaz was homeless, he didn’t ponder his future. Instead, his days were consumed with finding a place to sleep, warmth and his next meal. “The whole time I kept thinking that I didn’t have a chance,” said Diaz, who [...]

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Homeless No More

October 26, 2009 By

Homeless no more: Long road leads man to assistance, home By April Charlton/Senior Staff Writer/Times Press Recorder a division of Lee Central Coast Newspapers During one Nipomo native’s struggle with homelessness, he did everything he could to sleep standing up. “I felt a lot of shame,” William Diaz said about the period of his life [...]

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