Alameda homeless shelter program gets funding boost as winter storms arrive
ALAMEDA – For the homeless, finding a safe place to spend the night is a greater challenge in the winter. In Alameda, a shelter recently got a boost to support its mission all season long.
Over the last two months, Nicholas Pierce and his dog Zorg have been going to church every night at exactly 6:30 p.m. for a different kind of service.
A family member decided to sell the house they called home and now, at 30, Pierce is in uncharted territory.
"The first few days you just kind of don't believe it happened," he said.
Pierce has been able to survive thanks to a few odd jobs and the kindness of strangers. But, as the temperatures drop, finding a place to stay has been a challenge.
Then, he heard of the so-called "Warming Shelter" at the Christ Episcopal Church in Alameda and things began to look up.
"There's no check-in line, there's no red tape. The moment I step in through the door, it's just, 'Welcome!'" he said.
Every winter for the past six years, the church has been opening its doors to people down on their luck, offering them a hot meal and a safe place to sleep.
At first, the shelter was open only twice a week. Now, it's every night.
"Unfortunately, the need is continuing to grow," John Brennan, the shelter's co-director, said.
Brennan added that the homeless crisis has so gotten so bad, this year multiple area churches are sharing the burden by rotating, each opening its doors two weeks at a time.
"We're hoping that by doing this we can expand our shelter program, offer it longer and spread the load," he said.
In September, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a state of emergency on homelessness, after the number of people living on the streets jumped 22% from 2019 to 2022.
Fortunately for Brennan, the City of Alameda agreed to fund two-thirds of the shelter's budget.
"You can just see the difference in our guests' well-being, knowing that they can come back every night and have a place to sleep," he said.
After dinner, guests, as they're called here, cleared out the tables, pulled out mattresses and got ready for bed.
Pierce, who had been up and about looking for work all day was able to finally get some rest along with Zorg.
"I'm very hopeful," he said. I'm very certain that a huge opportunity will come right around the corner."