Who
Gateway Homeless Services is the largest 24-hour emergency shelter for women and children in the state of Missouri. We provide safe, nurturing emergency shelter services to 110 clients each day. On average, 60% of the people we serve are children under the age of 11. Our mission is to empower women to move their families from homelessness to transitional or permanent housing as quickly as possible.
Our Children
84% of homeless persons placed into transitional housing will never become homeless again. This statistic means everything to the future of St. Louis children facing the unimaginable burden of homelessness. While homeless children are faced with a constant barrage of challenges including being sick at four times the normal rate, going hungry twice as often, having a greater likelihood of experiencing violence and great challenges in school.
We Need You
Ending homelessness is truly a community effort. Since its inception, Gateway Homeless Services has relied heavily on government support to accomplish its critical work. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a 30% decline in government support and this trend is expected to continue. At the same time, the need for services like ours is on the rise. Therefore, it is critical that we work hard to engage corporate and community groups in the work of ending homelessness for women and children in our setting.
How You Can Help
At Gateway Homeless Services we are excited to start 2010 by launching our Community Partnership initiative. We seek to build meaningful, long-term relationships with corporate, community, education and faith based groups. The foundation of our program is the Adopt A Room opportunity. Partnering with Gateway Homeless Services in this way eases the burden of homelessness for women and children in our setting by providing a “soft place to fall” at the end of the long, challenging days our clients often face while homeless.
How it Works
While Adopt a Room can be customized to meet the needs and desires of the partnership group, the program is clearly defined and well structured. The program can include interaction with Gateway’s clients (women and/ or children) or can be completed independent of direct client interaction.
As an Adopt a Room Community Partnership, groups will be responsible for the following areas:
• One major overhaul or make over of the room: paint, bedding, furnishings etc.
• Create (non religious inspirational messaging in each room) *optional
• Collect (or purchase) new or gently used sheets, comforters and linens for each room
• Check in on each room a minimum of four times per year: assist in cleaning room (if necessary) collect additional sheets, towels, comforters and linens, change inspirational messages, if desired work with the children/ women in to create art projects for the room
• All projects/ products done or brought into the shelter must be funded solely by the group adopting the room. (Fundraisers, in-kind donation collections, purchases should all be made independent of Gateway Homeless Services staff)
• Each adopted room will include a photo (of your group working in the room) plaque and message to the clients residing in each room. The photo plaque will feature the name (or logo) of the company/ organization the group represents (prepared by Gateway Homeless Services staff). *optional
Funding Your Partnership
Adopt a Room can be accomplished with a small budget, especially if the group is focused on collecting donations of gently used items. In most cases, the largest expense would be related to paint and supplies. This project can be as basic or in-depth as a group desires as long as it meets the goals listed in this document.
Contact: Jenn Gauthier-Lyke, Development Director for additional information
phone: 314.546.9684
email:
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