This year, the Welcome Ministry has had many exciting successes that have strengthened our ministry and enabled us to help our homeless and hungry friends to become self sustaining members of the community.

A new initiative involving high school student participation has been added to the Saturday Community Dinner program and will double the number of community dinners that are hosted next year. Doubling the number of Saturday dinners will allow us to have 6 dinners set aside to educate youth and young adults about: homelessness, the value of volunteering, the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, economic justice and the dangers of running away. Dinners will begin with an educational program tailored to the needs of the youth and will conclude with a reflection and debriefing session after the meal. This will result in an additional: 1320 meals served; an additional 360 volunteers learning about the homeless and hungry; more than 1600 blankets, toiletry bags and warm clothing distributed; and many new opportunities for the homeless and hungry to learn about and gain access to our services.

Our partnership with the City of San Francisco Supportive Housing Program has helped over 50 homeless people move into city housing units that have support services for the residents, including professional medical and psychiatric services and social services. This partnership involves the city providing supportive housing with services and the Welcome Ministry guiding our homeless friends with whom we have developed trusting relationships, and who are interested, to move into the housing.

The Welcome Ministry plans to continue the success of these new partnerships and as well as the older programming that has been providing a ministry of presence to the homeless and hungry in this area since 1996. The Welcome Ministry currently operates the Welcome Center, where volunteers and one three-quarter-time staff member provide a sanctuary and offer lunch, hospitality and assistance to homeless neighbors for two hours each Tuesday afternoon. The ministry also offers a monthly Wednesday Evening Outreach Program, a monthly Saturday community dinner and individual counseling three days a week.
An important objective for 2006 is to increase our three-quarter-time director to full-time starting in September. This will strengthen our individual counseling program and our housing partnership with the San Francisco Supportive Housing Program.

Individual Care Provided:
For Our Homeless and Hungry Guests and Volunteers:
• 576 counseling sessions
• 36 Hospital visits
The Welcome Ministry Helps Our Homeless and Hungry Friends Create Self Sustaining Lives:
• More than 50 individuals found housing
• 4 individuals assisted in entering substance abuse rehabilitation programs per month
• 28 individual counseling sessions per month
• 6 medical visits with guests per month
• 8 visits to see prisoners or letters to prisoners per month
• 13 pastoral care meetings and one religious service performed per month
• 345 Welcome Center meals served per month
• 90-120 Saturday evening community dinner guests per month
• 170 bags of toiletries, socks and non-perishable food given out per month

2005 Corporation, Organizational and Foundation Sponsors
Bi Coastal Consulting Corp
Community Thrift
Edgehill Group Inc
The Eldorado Foundation
Episcopal Charities
First Congregational Church
Grassroots.org
The Myrna Farness Estate
Naccarato & Associates
Network for Good
Noe Valley Sports
Old First Presbyterian Church
The Presbyterian Hunger Grant
The Presbytery of San Francisco
The San Francisco Deanery
The San Francisco Department of Public HIV Prevention Section
The San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team
Sandbox Studios
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
TierraNet
The Welcome Ministry Board of Directors

Welcome Ministry Helps Three People Find Housing
Below are some examples of Welcome Ministry successes in helping needy people who come to the door. The three stories are typical of director Megan Rohrer’s work with our homeless and low-income neighbors.

Barbara, 18, a guest of the Welcome Center for over three years, decided on her birthday that she was tired of being controlled by her drug addiction and that she wanted to move off of the streets. Long estranged from her family, Barbara did not know how to begin the road to recovery. After counseling Barbara and encouraging her to make healthy life decisions, Megan helped her contact her parents. She also counseled Barbara’s parents to help them try to safely support Barbara. Megan facilitated an acceptable arrangement that worked for Barbara and her parents. Barbara’s parents agreed to pay for Barbara to stay in an SRO room to “get sober.” She is building trust with her family by sending them receipts to show that she is making good choices. Soon, Barbara plans to move home with her parents, attend support groups and re-enroll in school.

Ed, 56, was disabled, mute and homeless. After Megan helped Ed apply for and receive Social Security benefits, he was able to save enough money to afford his own apartment and open a bank account. Megan made several phone calls to Ed’s family to let them know about his progress. Later, it was agreed that Ed would move to the city where his parents live. Megan helped Ed find an apartment near his parent’s home, buy a train ticket and prepare for the trip (how much money to take, how to pack, and be sure he had enough paper to communicate with people). On the day of his departure Megan took Ed to the train station, made sure he got on the train and called his family to confirm that they would pick him up.

Shirley, 66, a low-income senior came to the Welcome Center when she moved to San Francisco and could not find any housing that she could afford. Shirley had stayed in a shelter the night before and she refused to go back. Before coming to the Welcome Center, Shirley had been to three agencies that informed her that the waiting list for housing was over three years long. Megan told Shirley about organizations that focused on working with seniors and let her know that if she told them that she was currently living in a shelter, she would be moved to the top of the list some buildings that Megan knew about. Megan called the buildings and got Shirley an appointment. Shirley came back later and told Megan she was able to get into housing within three days.