You may have heard that after 15 years of operating Montgomery County’s two primary 24/7 homeless shelters, St. Vincent’s transferred operations of the Men’s Shelter to Homefull in June.
The overall mission of the organization is to, “with Christian purpose, accompany neighbors in need one person at a time by focusing on shelter, food, and clothing.”
That mission is accomplished through a variety of different ministries in addition to the emergency shelter which serves an average of 60 children each night.
St. Vincent’s also provides:
- Ongoing case management for about 70 men, women, and families who live with disabilities and/or experience chronic homelessness.
- Supportive services and outreach to 200 veterans and their families who experience homelessness and housing instability.
- Thirty neighborhood ministries (Conferences) made up of more than 600 volunteers who give of their time and resources to provide personal support to their neighbors in need with rent/utility assistance, household items like furniture, food, transportation, and medical supplies.
- A CityThrift store which accepts donations of furniture, clothing, and household items to give to neighbors and sells excess items to the public to support other ministries.
“In recent years, we have relied on government funding for over half our funding,” said executive director Michael Vanderburgh. “But now it’s not as available as it was, and the costs keep going up. Now we’re planning for a continued reduction in government funding.” “
Vanderburgh said many of their guests cite family conflict as a reason for coming to shelter.
“As an approach to this challenge, what we really need is to focus on the relationship elements. The lack of deep relationships, or ruptured deep relationships, are really fueling our homelessness crisis.”
Here’s what they need:
• Deodorant
• Socks
• Underwear
• Hair products for textured hair
• Shoes
• Feminine hygiene products
• Diapers/wipes
• Depends
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Packaged fruit cups
• Disposable cups
• Bulk drink mixes (lemonade, Kool-Aid, etc.).
Donations can be dropped off at CityThrift, 945 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Dayton from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday–Friday and from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. The dock is located at the side of the building to the left of the entrance.
Other ways to help
- Volunteers are needed on weekday mornings to help with shelter laundry; weekday evenings to serve dinner at the shelter and weekends to help sort through donated clothing. To sign up, visit https://stvincentdayton.org/volunteer/ and fill out an information form.
- Monetary donations are always appreciated. A gift of $40 provides shelter, food, and clothing for one person for one night: https://stvincentdayton.org/how-to-donate/
- Shop CityThrift – all profits at the thrift store go directly back to St. Vincent de Paul’s ministries.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com. Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.
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