Shoreline Community Services

Yes...it's TAX TIME again! We are wondering if any of our community members are willing to spend some time with some of our unhoused neighbors who need to get their taxes done...it can be difficult and overwhelming when you don't have access to the internet or an understanding of the system. If you can volunteer a few hours to help out, we would greatly appreciate it. Something that may be simple for you may prove challenging to someone else - THIS is how we are #harnessingthepowerofcommunityrelationships to make our community better! Send a message or call 858-900-7024

On Tuesdays, our SCS Gleaners pick up beautiful produce from the Pacific Beach Tuesday Farmers' Market and deliver it to those who prepare meals to serve to our unhoused neighbors. So grateful for our volunteers who prep and serve the food and those who grow it and bring it to market as well! #harnessingthepowerofcommunityrelationships

Hoping you were able to follow along this past week and that you learned some things - we talked about RELIEF vs DEVELOPMENT, the purpose of our MEAL SERVICES, why we have VOLUNTEER MENTORS, the RESOURCES we offer, SHOWERS/LAUNDRY/HAIRCUTS and HOUSING options. So many facets to the issues of homelessness that face our community and this community problem is getting community solutions. Thanks to our neighbors who are donating their time and their money, we are able to make the positive changes necessary to address the challenges. SPREAD SOME LOVE this Valentine's Day - donate at www.shorelinecs.org or Call 858-900-7024 to volunteer. #harnessingthepowerofcommunityrelationships

HOUSING: Of course, the only way to end homelessness is with homes. Bringing people inside, without barriers, allows people to tend to other needs such as mental health or substance use. Homelessness is a result of poverty lack of affordable housing, lack of a living wage, racismwe need to fix the basics. Shoreline Community Services works with local organizations that can connect unhoused people with housing there are emergency shelters, transitional shelters, rapid reh...ousing and permanent supportive housing. The process can be long and complicated and frustrating. Listening to each individual, assessing needs, connecting with the greater system and waiting for housing matches takes time and patience. We are here to help walk people through the process and tend to their needs along the way. Would you join us in our efforts to find people housing? SPREAD SOME LOVE today by donating at www.shorelinecs.org

The San Diego Union-Tribune talked with our director, Caryn Majeski Blanton about her work with SCS and how our community is coming together with solutions to issues of homelessness... https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com//someone-san-diego-sh

SHOWERS, LAUNDRY and nowHAIRCUTS! So, you know how you feel after you towel off from a hot shower fresh, vibrant, ready for whatever comes your way! On the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, SCS hosts hot showers and laundry service for neighbors who don’t have access to either. Along with the Pacific Beach Woman's Club and Duwara Consciousness Foundation, we’ve been offering this resource to those who need it. The vibe is casual and friendly. Music plays, the smell of Dr.... Bronner's lavender soap fills the air. Lunch is served people visit (at a proper social distance, of course) and other resources are offered if necessary. Locals have donated new underwear, socks and hygiene items so folks can leave feeling clean and sharp. The sixty+ foot truck has eight showers (including and ADA shower) and a small laundromat. There’s a vanity area to shave or style hair. And speaking of hair we’ve recently added in shaves and cuts by @theloganroberts Everyone deserves to look and feel good. We’ve had people tell us that people look at them differently after they’ve been able to get a shower and a haircut. They feel better. Their dignity and self-esteem are boosted. Just a simple thing can make a huge difference! Come and visit us on Tuesday, 2/23 between noon and 2pm at 1721 Hornblend Street. Look for the big orange trailer you can’t miss it. Want to SPREAD SOME LOVE ? It takes a lot to make this happen. You can donate on our website and be part of making positive change in the lives of our unhoused neighbors. www.shorelinecs.org

RESOURCES: Making sure people get what they need is what we do best! Our purpose is to connect people to the resources and services that are necessary to be self-sufficient. This requires us to meet each neighbor face to face, listen deeply, suspend all judgement, offer positive affirming support and the real-world expertise that it takes to navigate the convoluted system of assistance that is available. To reduce the barriers that can prevent self-sufficiency, we work to a...lign our most vulnerable neighbors with providers and service agencies. We partner with them by lending the personal support that traditional case workers rarely have time to provide. We engage our community members residents, businesses, organizations, churches, programs and agencies to offer the assistance, encouragement, finances and influence necessary to make positive change. Come on SPREAD SOME LOVE Offer what RESOURCES you have by VOLUNTEERING or DONATING today! www.shorelinecs.org

Getting the RESOURCES AND SERVICES needed to reach self-sufficiency can be overwhelming when living in crisis. We’re here to reduce the barriers and connect our unhoused neighbors to what they need: - IDs - Social Security Cards - Birth Certificates - Bus Passes... - Family Reunification - Legal Aid - Community Service - Employment Opportunities - Voter Registration - Flu Shots - COVID Tests - Cell Phones/Service - EBT Cards - Stimulus Check Filing - Medical/Dental Appointments Help assure that we can keep providing connections to all of these and more by becoming part of our monthly donor community! Click here to join: www.shorelinecs.org

Saturday is the day! Let's clean up together! Rain or shine, we will be there - sprucing up our neighborhood! Ask your people to join in as well - the more folks pitch in, the less time it will take! See you there! #harnessingthepowerofcommunityrelationships

Keith has lived in San Diego for a long time. Several years ago he was run over by a truck and suffered a spinal injury. Prior to the accident, Keith worked in construction and lived a full life. Now he’s in a wheelchair and has a hard time getting around. On top of that, medical bills, loss of work and physical pain landed him on the street. Keith is persistent AND resilient. We’ve been able to work with him to get the paperwork that is necessary to get him inside. He’s gett...ing medical attention and help with the pain. We’ve collaborated with Downtown San Diego Partnership, #rootedlife, PATH San Diego and UCSD Medical Center, Hillcrest Hospital, San Diego to get the services and resources he needs to reach self-sufficiency. Keith wants what we all want a place to call home and a life full of people we love and care about and that love and care for us too. A life with meaning and purpose. Your commitment to being a monthly donor will help to transform the future for more people like Keith! Click here to join our community of monthly donors: www.shorelinecs.org

We are in Week 3 of our Fall Impact Drive! Aligning our most vulnerable neighbors with the RESOURCES AND SERVICES they need is what moves them to self-sufficiency. Reducing the barriers to access them is what we do! Getting help can be overwhelming when living in crisis but a friendly mentor who gives personalized attention can make all the difference. We have connected with Duwara Consciousness Foundation to bring hot showers and laundry services to the beach area twice a mo...nth. Our friends at Docfully Healthcare offer vitals checks and access to medical professionals through virtual visits. Our partnership with PATH San Diego, McAlister Institute and Downtown San Diego Partnership have proven valuable for those looking for assistance with benefits, substance abuse/addiction and housing options. Coordinating these resources and services takes a lot of time, work and patience. Building key relationships doesn’t happen quickly but the rewards are significant! By being a monthly donor, you help us to continue to walk with those who are seeking a life off of the street. Please donate today: www.shorelinecs.org

Since the pandemic, 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children face food insecurity. Providing healthy food for people living on the street directly effects physical, emotional and mental well-being. At our meal services, we offer other resources - ID vouchers, bus passes, vitals checks, substance abuse program assistance and access to housing options. Right now, these meal services are one of the only places people can connect to the resources and services they need to move toward self-sufficiency. Being a part of our community of monthly donors assures the meal services continue along with the offerings of necessary resources. Click here to join the community: www.shorelinesc.org

It was through a meal service that we connected with our beloved Leah. Her story includes being chronically homeless - living in her van, mental health complications, addiction and many medical issues. It has not been easy for her. Week after week we listened and encouraged her. We knew a lot of her story and what she needed and what she dreamed about. Week after week we asked if she was ready to move insideit just wasn’t time. Until one day we asked and she said, Yes! Bec...ause of our relationship with Leah, because we knew her and her needs and desires, we were able to move quickly and she went inside! Not only that, she now has a sporty new car. She volunteers at our meal services and at our shower and laundry service. She’s working on family reunification. She talks to others about what they need and what they dream about and she’s helping them work toward self-sufficiency and housing! We want people to understand that receiving a meal is so much more than getting food. It’s a place where people know you and you know them a place to create relationships. It’s a place to connect to resources and services that are necessary to make the move off of the street. Do you want to help others like Leah who are ready to say, Yes!? By being a monthly donor you ensure funds are available to support the process of moving our unhoused neighbors into housing. Click here to donate! https://shorelinecs.org/

It’s Week 2 of our Fall Impact Drive! This week we’ll be sharing about the importance and purpose of our MEAL SERVICES. Each week, between 200 and 300 meals are served to those who need them. When guests arrive, they are greeted by name and offered a nutritious meal (to go, due to COVID) and asked if they need other resources. The meal services are one of the only places left where people can connect to the resources they need to start their journey off of the streets and into stable housing. We are grateful to the churches and community volunteers that make these meals happen week after week even in a pandemic! You can support this work by becoming a monthly donor. Click here for more information: www.shorelinecs.org

Another community collaboration! Save the date, invite your people and let’s make a difference together! #harnessingthepowerofcommuniyrelationships

When broken systems meet vulnerable people, homelessness occurs. But when service providers, agencies and nonprofits COLLABORATE there can be a solution to homelessness and when it does occur, it will be rare and brief. Through a national movement, Built for Zero, there are 13 communities in the U.S. that have ended veteran or chronic homelessness and 84 others that have seen a major reduction. To get there, we need to realign our local systems and resources. Here at SCS, we... are bringing together people to transform our neighborhood by engaging community members, businesses and organizations to respond to the needs of our most vulnerable members in the way that they can serve best. We want to create an interdependent community aligned with a common goal a thriving, safe and welcoming neighborhood for everyone! Join our team of monthly donors and be a part of ending homelessness in our community. www.shorelinecs.org See more

RIP, Captain - grateful his last days were spent in comfort and surrounded by those who loved him. He will be missed.

Meet Mr. Steven Spittle - veteran and senior. He has been one of our chronically unhoused community members for many years now. Mr. Spittle has been matched to housing before and has fallen out. He has multiple brain injuries and an entire host of other medical issues. To properly serve him takes COLLABORATION. Over the past year, a team of support has built relationships to come together and see how we can best serve him. This is what we at Shoreline Community Services mean ...by, Harnessing the Power of Community Relationships. All hands have been on deck and Mr. Spittle has been matched to housing! Thank you, Homelessness News San Diego Peace Officer Johnson, Peace Officer Coston, Lisa Halverstadt and PATH San Diego Mr. Spittle, whether you like him or not, is part of our community. We know he has co-occurring disorders and veteran PTSD. He is also old and frail. He loves to talk - a lot. Yes, he can be loud when speaking. But he also has a history of genius. Yes, he interrupts. Mr. Spittle is complicated. With a common goal of a thriving, safe and welcoming neighborhood for all being at the forefront, we will see through the entire housing navigation process and do our very best as team to support him. As of this morning, Mr. Spittle is back inside! You can be a part of these team efforts by being a monthly donor. https://shorelinecs.org/ Learn more about Mr. Spittle and understand why we’re working so hard to eliminate homelessness in the Central Beach Area: https://www.cbs8.com//509-d9200d7e-6f30-492a-baed-8d213c7c

SCS is the only local non-profit that is focused exclusively on finding solutions to homelessness in our neighborhood! We seek to transform the Central Beach Area by engaging community members to respond to the needs of our most vulnerable members in the way that they can serve best. We want to create an interdependent community aligned with a common goal a thriving, safe and welcoming neighborhood for everyone! How do we do it? Wellin different ways (which we will be shar...ing with you over the next four weeks) but this week our focus is on COLLABORATION. We have built relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders that are helping us to eliminate homelessness and transform our neighborhood. With their help and yours, we can do it! We’re looking to create a community of monthly donors to join us in this important work. Click here to find out more: https://shorelinecs.org/ beautifulPB Christ Lutheran Pacific Beach City of San Diego Discover Pacific Beach La Jolla Town Council Mossy Ford Pacific Beach Auto Pacific Beach Christian Church Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church Pacific Beach Town Council Pacific Beach United Methodist Church Pacific Beach Woman's Club St. Andrew's by-the-Sea Pacific Beach Saint Brigid Parish San Diego Audubon Society

For the next four weeks we’ll be sharing more about Shoreline Community Services and how you can join us in the work that we do during our Fall Impact Drive. Become a monthly donor to transform our community and the future of our unhoused neighbors as we continue to serve them with compassion and equity. Learn how you can be a part at: https://shorelinecs.org/ #harnessingthepowerofcommunityrelationships