Interfaith Shelter Network of San Diego

As a homeless service provider, our agency has worked with Interfaith Shelter Network since 2018 collaborating with their Rotational Shelter Program. This seasonal shelter offers a safe place to sleep for our vulnerable clients experiencing homelessness when the only alternative is sleeping outside in the cold and rain. Our clients have shared their content with the small congregate setting and the warm meals provided. They have also shared their gratitude for the hosting congregations and their volunteers who make their stay more welcoming. The ISN staff is always available for support and open to feedback, and have shown a genuine desire to see the clients connect to services during their stay in the shelter and to successfully exit homelessness.

The work of the Interfaith Shelter Network is more than impressive. Helping unhoused people get temporary housing is just one of the many ways this non-profit serves some of the most needy in our community. I am happy to support them in any way I can. I am in admiration of the work they do with El Nido as well. The way they continue to help families in crisis is always inspirational and their staff is consistently amazing. As a volunteer and as a community member, I am blessed to be a small part of this wonderful organization.

As a volunteer with Interfaith Shelter Network (ISN) for nearly 20 years, I have seen its impact on the lives of those involved with the organization. Clients served and volunteers in service benefit from the opportunities a small, dedicated staff offers through ISN's programs.

ISN is a grassroots, volunteer-heavy organization that stewards its resources thoughtfully. The longevity of ISN's volunteer base is a testament to the quality of the programs and the staff's dedication.

These people are FALSE HOPE, may GOD disband this program. No they don't keep people in their program for long. No matter what you do to try to get back on your feet. They'll throw you back in the streets. You'll lose your job and can't keep a job being homeless again.

You're choice if you don't take my word for it, I'm sure the program white supremacists only will feed you lies about me.

If you're thinking of suicide. That's the outcome these white supremacists expect. They won't give a damn who you are. Or what you could of been.

I just acquired a great paying job. Had to buy new clothes because they don't provide that. They only help by looking up other resources to call and inquire about.

They don't help with housing except pay the hotel through state funds. They don't talk to apartments for you. You're credit score poor, they will not help you. They say they do, but they will find ways to exit you out of the program before they use state funds.

You'll be back in the streets in due time limit. And you'll end up donating your clothes you bought specifically for work. And use up your funds just to run a heater in your car to stay warm at night. Spending money that you just saved up for a hotel to shower at least once a month.

The moment I was looking for an apartment. They make you do all the ground work. Expect you to have appointments done. Even though you've been working everyday for 5 days a week st 10 hour shifts and sore, tired. The job I had was very physically high demanding.

Lost the moment I was forced to leave the hotel I was in. So much for progress.

False hope these programs. Oh and I'm taking this so much further into the state and federal agencies. I may be homeless but I'm not a dummy.

Good luck.

This organization should be called "False Hope." Their Rapid Rehousing coordinator led my family on for over 6 months but we received no help with anything ever. She promised us everything from food to blankets to diapers to help finding a home and made us jump through tons of hoops but each time she did not return calls, never showed up, made every excuse in the world instead of helping with any of it. Then decided she had me all figured out when I refused to have my stability and safety threatened further than it already has been. She decided to pull rank and deny me access to assistance that could have changed my family's life for the better. I was in no way included in this decision and they did not even bother to have accurate information about me and my situation before deciding to deny me. The organization treated me like a child and their representatives told me they just didn't believe I was ready for the assistance I need. Despite the fact that we have never met, have barely spoken by phone, they can't seem to remember or don't care about my family's actual story, and never followed through with any assistance dangled in front of us whatsoever. I tried to speak to the Executive Director privately about my complaints and was forced onto speakerphone with the employee listening, although I was on hold a lengthy period of time before I was connected to E.D. while she and employee discussed their opinions of me in private. I recommend saving yourself the heartache and disappointment these people will bring if they arbitrarily decide they don't believe in you or want to help you based on their personal biases.

Each year when Interfaith Shelter comes to our Church I sign my Book club and Bibble Study groups up to provide dinners. There are usually 12+ residents of the program and 10+ volunteers. We gather together in a large room with 4 tables set in a large square. The food is always great but really secondary to what unfolds. We hold hands and pray then get our meals. When we all are settled in I ask an ice breaker question (favorite food,best pet etc. )that everyone anwsers along with their name. Within minutes we are one "family" chatting and sharring , groups of like minded folks end up switching places and the conversation grows. People linger and the evening is filled with heartfelt talk.I like to think from those hours of "table talk" come the process of healing. Even though the residents are homeless they are still part of our community. The normal interaction goes a long way to making the process tangible. Through prayer, talk, food, we give encouragement. We always get more than we give.

Ive been involved with the InterFaith Shelter network for 20 yearsas a volunteer setting up the shelters at my Church and as a overnight host. My wife coordinated the hosting at our church for a few years as well.We were drawn to this ministry for a number of reasons. It helped individuals get back up on their feet in so many ways. From getting housing, to keeping a job by learning some Job skill or interview skill. It provided a safe place for the families and It provided a much needed structure for these individuals . Simple rules that would allow them to get along with others and yet have some modicum of privacy and safety. It personally provided me and my family an avenue to serve others that needed our help. An effective way to present caring for others in a tangible way to my young Sons who would help me in small ways every year including eating with the guests and hearing their stories. This is a ministry where many people in the church can help out ans serve the community . Phil

I have volunteered twice to spend the night with the people we serve via the Interfaith Shelter Network. The people are so happy to have a place to come to at night where they are welcomed with open arms and given a good meal as well. These people are trying to get back on their feet, and Interfaith Shelter provides them a safe harbor to come to in the evening after exploring job opportunities during the day.

Chalice UU Congregation has been hosting a two-week rotation of the winter shelter for the past four years. I started out as a transportation volunteer and have been Lead Coordinator for our shelter for the past two years and will do so again this year. I have found Interfaith Community Services and the Shelter Network to be made up of dedicated, hardworking people that have the very best interests of their guests, and the volunteers who serve them, at heart. They are unfailingly helpful and there for us when needed. They are always working to provide the best, most positive program for the guests so that they might move up from their current situation. It is an honor to be a part of this program.

During the 10 years I have been involved with the San Diego Interfaith Shelter Network I have visited with many individuals in transition. The most poignant are families, sometimes where the adolesant children are in reality the caretakers for the parent(s). Through the efforts of the various case management agencies these families and individuals are given the opportunity to make a better life and many do, transitioning into more stable housing, pursing education and finding employment. In addition, the children continue their education, sometimes at a great effort.
The volunteers, who serve as overnight hosts and/or provide meals, gain at least as much as they give. Many return year after year. Truly this program has changed lives for the better.

For 25 years The Interfaith Shelter Network has coordinated shelter for single adults and families in San Diego County. I have coordinated the effort at my church for 24 of those years. We typically house 12 guests for 14 nights at each church in the rotation. Last year, through the cooperative efforts of 100 congregations, 245 guests were sheltered for more than 8,900 nights. This required the participation of 3,500 volunteers. The guests receive guidance from case management agencies and attend budget and career planning workshops offered at the shelters. Fifty-seven percent of the guests found more permanent housing after being in the network. Twenty-eight percent of the adults were employed when they left and fifty-eight percent exited with either a job or income to which they were entitled.

The Interfaith Shelter Network is well organized, professional, and ensures that both volunteers and guests are well prepared. It is awesome to participate with so many wonderful people.

I have been the Shelter Coordinator at my church for the last 6 or 7 years. Each year we have wonderful and rewarding experiences with the guests who stay with us for two weeks. It is especially heartwarming to hear about the successes of our guests as they get their lives put back together. Each evening at the Shelter guests and hosts sit down together for a meal and fellowship. We all learn as much from our guests as I hope we give them.

I have been a volunteer of the Interfaith Shelter Network for close to 10 years. While many organizations lobby, march, walk/run and demonstrate to help the homeless, the Interfaith Shelter feeds and houses them one person at a time. From the caseworkers to the coordinators and donators, the cooks and overnight help, and the guests themselves, this organization has helped get many people on their feet every year.

The interfaith Rotational shelter provides food and shelter to the homeless in San Diego county from November thru March. The shelter rotates from church to church every two weeks and provides shelter to up to 15 people at each church. The guests are screened and are provided case management and all have a plan for self sufficiency. Our church, The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Deguito, has partnered with St. James Catholic church for over 25 years in providing 2 weeks of shelter. It is very rewarding for our volunteers in seeing the guests making progress on their path of self sufficiency.

My wife and I have volunteered for 25 years with the North Coastal San Diego County Interfaith Shelter Network of the Ecumenical Council of San Diego. At first we were support for another congregation that hosted the network. For the past 10 years our congregation has been a host congregation. There are seven networks. The ISN staff provides coordination, training, and follow up with 7 social service agencies and over 75 congregations of various faiths and denominations. At this moment, my wife is chairing our congregation in hosting 12 persons (3 single women with 8 children and one single man). She has over 80 members of our congregation involved as overnight hosts, in preparing meals, doing laundry, driving our guests to medical/dental appointments, or just being available to assist as needed. Over 10,000 persons have been helped over the history of IFN with approximately 60% finding jobs and/or housing.

I have been a volunteer with the Rotational Shelter Network program of the Ecumenical Council of San Diego County for several years now, through my church. It has always been a rewarding experience, even with the trials that come with these same experiences. I would highly recommend anyone who wants a rewarding volunteer experience to contact the Rotational Shelter Network program of the Ecumenical Council of San Diego County and help in anyway that they can. The joy that comes from helping those in need is more than and $$ amount anyone can give...your heart and those you help hearts are filled with love and grace.

The interfaith shelter network (ISN) which has strong ties with the Ecumenical Council is a GREAT service provider. At our non-profit, we provide case management for those less fortunate in San Diego that are seeking a place for rest and recuperation as they strive to get gainful employment. I have found it amazing that via the ISN that our clients can find exactly this environment, look refreshed the next morning and many have actually found jobs. Our clients tell us that if it wasn’t for ISN they would probably still be trying to find employment and receiving rejections due to their physical appearance. ISN is a great program and the staff that run the program as some of the best I’ve ever seen.