The Gubbio Project

We are so proud of Gonzalo Guoron, former Gubbio staff member! Please check out this lovely piece in Mission Local highlighting his remarkable story: https://missionlocal.org//before-covid-19-he-greeted-the-/

Dear Gubbio Supporters - please see the important update from our Board below and don't hesitate to be in touch with any questions. Thank you for your support in these challenging times. Peace, Shannon Eizenga Executive Director... Dear Friends and Supporters of The Gubbio Project, I am writing to you as Chair of the Board of Directors of The Gubbio Project to inform you of a recent painful decision we had to make. As you may know both of our churches, St. Boniface in the Tenderloin and St. John’s in the Mission have been closed for some time now. We have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how and when we might be able to reopen. We have met with City Health Department officials, an infectious disease specialist working with people who are unhoused, and colleagues in other organizations serving our unhoused neighbors. The overwhelming consensus of those we consulted was that reopening safely could be a year away. Some said they believed it is safer for people to be outside rather than in a closed facility such as the churches. The Board agonized over this and finally concluded that we would go into a pause period until we know more from the City and health experts. We have decided that we will look at the situation in quarters, namely monitor where we are every three months and decide next steps at that point. Our firm intention and hope is to be able to return as quickly as is safely possible. We will do all we can to serve the community by assisting other agencies serving people who are unhoused. For me personally, I was always deeply touched when visiting our guests at both churches. Our mission of providing sacred sleep touches our hearts deeply. My pledge to you on behalf of the Board of Directors is that we will keep you informed at least quarterly on any progress we have made toward reopening. Please know that we are deeply grateful to you for your support and love for Gubbio. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us. Faithfully and sadly, Tom Nolan Gubbio Board Chairman

Shout out to former Gubbio Board Member and Mayor of the TL, Del Seymour. What a blessing his leadership is in our community! (Gubbio gets a mention in here too!)

Shout out to former Gubbio Board Member and Mayor of the TL, Del Seymour. What a blessing his leadership is in our community! (Gubbio gets a mention in here too!)

Important read...

More on the realities in the streets surrounding our Tenderloin location: http://digital.olivesoftware.com//SanFranciscoChronicle/sh#

https://www.sfchronicle.com//Aging-onto-the-street-Nearly- This article from last year illustrates one reason why The Gubbio Project’s concern for our unhoused neighbors has increased during the time of COVID-19. We know that a majority of our guests are older & already suffer from a variety of health conditions. They are already a vulnerable population & are made more vulnerable to the virus while in the streets.

Gubbio continues to keep the experiences and needs of our unhoused neighbors central to our vision. We thank Stories Behind the Fog for their continued partnership. Here, our Executive Director, Shannon Eizenga, speaks about the realities of this time. https://storiesbehindthefog.com/shelter-in-which-place-shan

https://www.sfchronicle.com//The-problem-is-getting-worse-

One of our hospitality monitors, Ed Bowers, who watches over our unhoused neighbors as they sleep, lives in the Tenderloin and feels the plight of the neighborhood’s people deeply. He writes regularly, and has more recently started painting as a creative and spiritual outlet. Here’s one of his poems that makes us take note of the street while it simultaneously breaks our hearts. #GubbioProfiles #GubbioStories #TenderloinStories

Rye Nazarian, pictured here with Olive, makes supply runs to the Food Bank & Costco for Gubbio. We appreciate him greatly, & the use of his transport van! Here’s an excerpt of a recent conversation with Rye. Why do you volunteer with Gubbio? I live in a neighborhood surrounded by need and see homeless people everywhere. What I love most about Gubbio is that it’s simple. It’s a good that goes straight to people who need it to feel safe & to sleep. People who use it regularly d...epend on it. It’s not made overly complex. I’m fairly jaded about organized religion. It’s reassuring to see a church put its money where its mouth is. There’s a lot of empty real estate out there that could be doing the same thing. #GubbioStories #GubbioProfile

https://charity.gofundme.com//hotel-rooms-for-the-homeless The Gubbio Project responds to this crisis, as we always do, by joining other organizations to meet the immediate needs of our unhoused neighbors. This campaign is one we invite our community to support. Our doors may be closed, though our hearts remain open.

A moment of reflection with The Gubbio Project

This is a wonderful resource from our partners at the SF Night Ministry. Their crisis line is available to all and has new expanded hours! Please also consider making a donation to support the expansion of their work - https://sfnightministry.org

A former Gubbio employee, Lisa Roncella, visited outside Gubbio’s site in the Mission, Saint the John Evangelist, on Easter Sunday. She distributed PB&J sandwiches, dog food, other necessities, & Easter goodies. She chose this site & these people because of her connection to Gubbio. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation: Why is Gubbio important to you?... I became homeless when I graduated from college when my mother would not let me return home... I don’t think that the city is taking care of people in tents. People shouldn’t be disposable. What do you think is unique about Gubbio? We let people into the church without asking them questions. We don’t grill them. We trust. We try to give them all we can. We need to love one another.

A report from the streets: