Winter Sanctuary 2014

Last Saturday night I slept in an alley in an industrial area of Sacramento. During the day I, along with Pastor Rick and two other men, walked the streets of Sacramento. While I won't claim to have lived the life of a homeless person, I did meet some who are homeless and heard their stories.

The upcoming colder weather creates a special hardship for the homeless. Each winter, cold and wet weather conditions threaten the lives of nearly 1,000 homeless men and women who live on Sacramento-area streets. The Winter Sanctuary Program was founded to meet the needs of these individuals with nowhere to go. Comprised of a network of religious congregations under the leadership of Sacramento Steps Forward, Winter Sanctuary is the only winter housing option for single, homeless adults. The goal of this privately funded program is to help these individuals, who all too often fall through the cracks.

Help us make a radical impact in the lives of those who need it most. Our mission is to raise $300,000 in order to provide temporary housing and food for hundreds of Sacramento's homeless during the winter months. 

Program Basics (data from HMIS)

• 133 nights of shelter, hot meals, and simple breakfasts provided (data from November 19, 2012 to March 31, 2013)
• An average of 89 guests sheltered nightly
• 536 unduplicated guests served
• Average length of stay: 24 days
• Median length of stay: 10 days

Guest Demographics and Subpopulation Characteristics (data from HMIS)

• Gender: The majority of Winter Sanctuary guests are male. Male 63%, Female 37%
• Age: 70% ofWinter Sanctuary guests are between the ages of 25 and 54. Less than 10% of guests are Transition AgeYouth age 18-24 or Seniors 62 and older, 7% and 5% respectively.