Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship congregation in Santee will host the Interfaith Shelter Network program for the homeless over a two-week period from March 23 through April 6, including during Easter, which in itself is quite unique, as other churches normally don’t run this program during Easter.
Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship congregation in Santee will host the Interfaith Shelter Network program for the homeless over a two-week period from March 23 through April 6, including during Easter, which in itself is quite unique, as other churches normally don’t run this program during Easter.
This is the second year that the congregation will be an active host of the program. Members and staff concur that they are collectively looking forward to the upcoming occasion.
With more than 120 congregations participating either as host churches or support churches to those that are hosting, the Interfaith Shelter Network operates in the winter months from January through April. It has sheltered more than 8,000 homeless people for more than 200,000 bed-nights since 1986.
The Interfaith Shelter Network’s vision is to eliminate homelessness throughout San Diego County by offering a network of collaborative faith- based communities, social services and government programs which provide shelter and other resources to homeless individuals and families, with a goal to enable them to move toward self-sufficiency.
Barbara Brooks Nutter, coordinator for Summit’s interfaith shelter stated: “We will be hosting 12 to 15 homeless guests at our church. They literally will be our guests for two weeks. We will be offering our guests workshops and training, including learning to prepare resumes and job interviewing skills. We will also assist them with finding permanent housing.
“Guests will be screened to assure that they do not have active substance abuse or mental illness issues, so that they’re more viable candidates for rehabilitation into the community. We will host families, single adults, and adults with children,” she added.
Brooks Nutter further explained: “For many years, Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship has been a support church, but last year we decided to become a host church. Host churches are screened for qualification.
“During their stay, we will provide guests with a dinner meal. We will also have two people oversee and stay overnight with our guests. The overnighters are members of our congregation or support congregations. This year our support congregations include a Methodist church, a Muslim mosque, a Chaldean church and an Asian church,” added Brooks Nutter.
“As our hosting period will fall on the Easter holiday, we will be sharing Easter celebration with our fellow support churches and our guests,” she said.
Brooks Nutter expressed the enthusiasm and involvement on behalf of their collective congregation, stating that their member’s children also become active participants in the program by making blankets for the guests.
She concluded that the church is looking forward to hosting this year’s event which “is expected to be an enriching and life-changing experience for all, uniting many diverse faith-based communities, government agencies, social service initiatives and individuals for the betterment of those less fortunate members of our community.”
Summit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is located at 8778 Cottonwood Ave. in Santee.
