Dorothy Day House

The emergency shelter has the capacity to house 13 men who are homeless. We are unique because we operate out of a house and try to maintain a home-like environment for those who walk through our doors. Recognizing that the people we serve have experienced a tremendous amount of trauma, homelessness is traumatic, and many people are coming to us straight from the streets, we allow our guests time to adjust to the shelter environment and our program. After this time, we ask that they set goals for themselves with a housing plan being one of them. Each guest meets with our leadership staff who does an assessment, called the VI-SPDAT, to determine acuity for housing placement. Barriers are addressed at this time, and we visit with guests about increasing income, social support, issues relating to physical health, mental illness, and chemical dependency, transportation needs, and financial or legal concerns. We offer a holistic approach and try to meet people where they are at by using motivational interviewing techniques and practicing trauma informed care. We hold guests accountable by having them fill out an extension worksheet every other week, where they discuss progress made towards their goals, and this is then reviewed as a staff team. At this time, we provide positive reinforcement, offer suggestions, and address concerns. We do not have a set length of stay; rather, the guest has to be willing to set a housing goal and show overall progress. We have found this approach to be very effective, as the individual is driving his success while we keep that person on track by providing support and resources. In addition, we offer visitor services, where men, women, and children experiencing homelessness can come Monday - Friday and weekends (for showers only) from 10a - 5p to take showers, do laundry, and receive other support services. From 2010 - 2014, the number of visits increased an astounding 541%. Based on the philosophy of Dorothy Day, we believe that everyone has worth and deserves to have their basic needs met.