April Showers is the outreach project of the Interfaith Homelessness Network of San Leandro (IHN).IHN is comprised of ten faith communities that bring resources together and provide volunteers to aid the homeless in our city.April Showers operates at the Boys and Girls Club of San Leandro from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each first, third and fifth Sunday of the month.Guests receive a towel, a packet of toiletries, and new underclothing and socks.They can also select articles from an array of used clothing.After showering, guests enjoy a sit-down lunch in the dining room.Volunteers provide hot soup, a bag lunch, pastries, and coffee.Guests can also obtain a laundry voucher that can be exchanged for a laundry wash and dry at a local laundromat.
Perhaps the most important commodities present are the dignity and respect afforded everyone who comes to April Showers.The good spirit of the volunteers is greatly appreciated by the guests, who respond with respect as well.
IHN Members
AssumptionChurch, Catholic First United MethodistChurch All Saints Episcopal Church New FaithFullGospelFellowshipChurch Bethel Community Presbyterian Church San LeandroCommunityChurch First Christian Church Saint Felicitas Catholic Church First Presbyterian Church Saint Leander’s Catholic Church St. Peter’s LutheranChurch
2007 Highlights
Having established itself as a prominent voice for the homeless in San Leandro, IHN continues to serve and advocate for these brothers and sisters.IHN is now a prime partner in the EveryOne Home Plan – the countywide program to end homelessness.
The Thanksgiving Day feast for the homeless, begun in 2006, once again produced a flood of goodwill.The amount of food donated and the number of volunteers were staggering.Homeless and homed dined together and gave thanks.
Another event was IHN’s moving its 501c3 affiliation from Davis Street Family Resources to Building Futures with Women and Children.We are grateful for the support from DSFR and look forward to furthering our mission under the umbrella of BFWC.
Statistics
The April Showers program continues to grow – though growth leveled off this past year.Anywhere from 38 to 72 guests appeared at the Showers during the year, with the following totals and averages:
2007MENWOMENLUNCH TOTAL VOUCHERS 28 showersONLYISSUED
AVERAGE33.17.812.953.839.6
TOTAL89020635714531108
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS ISSUED VOUCHERS206
ESTIMATED DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS ATTENDING286
2006MENWOMENLUNCH TOTAL VOUCHERS 29 SHOWERSONLYISSUED
AVERAGE33.19.58.851.438.8
TOTAL949270247 14571124
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS ISSUED VOUCHERS187
ESTIMATED DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS ATTENDING271
Our spectacular volunteers:
Of course the program depends entirely on the goodwill of the marvelous April Showers volunteers.This past year, a typical Showers saw 8 churches represented by 30 smiling volunteers.What cannot be quantified is the outpouring of good spirit.Were there a gauge to meter it, the needle would point continually at “maximum”.
Hopes for the future:
Creation of a DayCenter remains a goal for IHN.Further, we will continue to work within the web of EveryOne Home Plan partner organizations to provide needed services.As consciousness for the plight of the homeless grows and stereotypes drop, IHN looks hopefully and works steadfastly toward the realization of the ultimate goal of the EveryOne Home plan – the end of homelessness in our county.
Our Thanks
The entire April Showers community offers its thanks to Building Futures with Women and Children, under whose 501c3 status we operate, to the city of San Leandro for scheduling its pool locker space with us, and to the San Leandro Boys and Girls Club whose generosity in sharing their facilities cannot be overstated, and to the citizenry of San Leandro as we work together to end homelessness.
April Showers is the outreach project of the Interfaith Homelessness Network of San Leandro (IHN).IHN is comprised of ten faith communities that bring resources together and provide volunteers to aid the homeless in our city.April Showers operates at the Boys and Girls Club from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each first, third and fifth Sunday of the month.Guests receive a towel, a packet of toiletries, new underclothing and socks.They can also select articles from an array of used clothing.After showering, guests enjoy a sit-down lunch in the dining room.Volunteers provide hot soup, a bag lunch, pastries, and coffee.Guests can also obtain a laundry voucher that can be exchanged for a laundry wash and dry at a local Laundromat.Finally, perhaps the most appreciated commodities present are the dignity and respect afforded everyone who comes to April Showers.
IHN Members
All Saints Episcopal Church New FaithFullGospelFellowshipChurch
Bethel Community Presbyterian Church San LeandroCommunityChurch
First Christian Church Saint Felicitas Catholic Church
First Presbyterian Church Saint Leander’s Catholic Chu First United Methodist Church St.Peter’s LutheranChurch
2006 Highlights
2006 was a year of impact for the April Showers program.There was growth in numbers served, in numbers serving, in recognition, and growth in the spirit that underlies the program’s mission.Possibly the most significant chapter of the year came in the role that April Showers played in helping San Leandro to pass the EveryOne Home Plan – the countywide proposal to end homelessness.April Showers representatives were asked to report to city officials, and the program was credited with raising the consciousness of the plight of the homeless in our city.
An important part of the testimony given was from a survey that was written and conducted by April Showers volunteers.To better understand the needs of the homeless community that attends the program, volunteers carried out surveys of sixty-one guests at Showers.Among the findings in the survey were the facts that the majority of our guests are long-time San Leandro residents, with an average time of 2.6 years being homeless.Loss of jobs and medical conditions were the major causes of their homelessness.A more complete summary of the survey is posted on our website.
Perhaps the happiest event was the explosion of goodwill that created the fabulous Thanksgiving Day feast for the homeless.One couple had an idea, and the faith community caught fire.So it was that nearly 100 folks, homeless and homed, gave thanks and sat down for a dinner complete with fine linens and more than enough food to satiate.To our knowledge, this was the first of its kind in San Leandro.
Statistics
The April Showers program continues to grow.In 2006, service was provided to a total of 1,457 guests, up from 1,129 in 2005.This past year, an average Sunday saw 33 men and 9 women availing themselves of the full services, and another 9 people coming for lunch only.This gave us an average total of 51 guests per Showers, up from 41 last year.
Use of laundry vouchers increased as well.A total of 1,123 were issued in 2006, an increase of 261 over the previous year.The rate of vouchers being redeemed continued to be about 75%.The voucher program gives us our best estimate of how many different guests attended showers.We know that 187 different people received vouchers and about 20% of attendees do not take vouchers.Adding 20% to 187 gives an estimate of 243 distinct guests.
Of course everything described above depends entirely on the goodwill of the marvelous April Showers volunteers.Last year, there were a total of 762 volunteer appearances.What’s more impressive is that these faithful logged some 2,700 hours of service – nearly 1,000 hours more than the previous year.Small wonder that our guests feel so well treated.
Hopes for the future:
IHN hopes to turn all of this good will into even more benefit for our homeless brothers and sisters by creating a day center to provide services on a regular basis.We also look forward to working with city and county agencies to help implement the goals of the EverOne Home plan.Our biggest dream is to put ourselves out of business – we long for the day when we can visit our current guests in their homes.
Our Thanks
The entire April Showers community offers our thanks to Davis Street Family Resource Center under whose 501c3 status we operated, to the city of San Leandro for scheduling its pool locker space with us, and to the San Leandro Boys and Girls Club whose generosity in sharing their facilities cannot be overstated.
