Program Highlight: Shelter

This week we are highlighting another of our programs, the Shelter.

This program is a staple of our community. It is the first program of La Puente, the oldest and most fundamental to our mission. It all began in 1978 when Sister Mary Angelou noticed that folks who didn’t have a safe place to shelter during the winter would freeze to death. By 1982 a home became available and was subsequently turned into the Shelter location we have today.

Due to her tenacity and the support of folks like Chet Choman (our founding board member) and Lance Cheslock (our current Executive Director) La Puente has grown to meet the needs of the community. 

The original shelter still stands as a beacon of hope for our community. However, in the year 2000, it underwent total renovation and expansion. Now it is a 45-bed facility that houses men, women, and families. The renovation process could not have been completed without our generous and hardworking volunteer groups who came in and renovated it for us. 

What does the shelter actually provide for our community? Why is it important?

Just as Sister Mary Angelou noticed, the Valley has brutal weather. During the winter, temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Fahrenheit and in the summer soar to over 90. Before COVID, the shelter not only provided 30-day transitional housing and personalized case management but also served as an open door for people to rest, warm up, charge their phones, check for mail, etc. The Valley also sees a lot of migrant workers traveling in search of work during the summer. Often these hardworking individuals would camp out on the floor of the shelter and be gone before the sun rose. It was a busy bustling place and the shelter also operated as a soup kitchen for the community. There was a fully operational kitchen that served 2 meals a day to anyone who wanted (lunch and dinner) and it served breakfast to shelter guests. 

COVID

With the arrival of COVID, the shelter had to follow strict guidelines. Constantly changing policies made it incredibly difficult for the Shelter to serve the community to its full potential. Not only were masks required in all the common areas, it was reduced to about half capacity, and they had to serve meals out the front door in to-go boxes. They also required COVID testing for all of the residents every week and strict quarantine guidelines were put in place. The shelter staff also had to start keeping the door locked. This meant that people who needed services had to knock and wait, sometimes for many minutes until someone could answer the door. This was not an effective way to run the shelter and severely limited how many people could receive services.

However, 3 years later, we are happy to announce that the Shelter is once again fully operational! The restrictions have been lifted and meals can be taken in community again. The hours for lunch and dinner are 12-1 pm and 5-6 pm respectively.

Community

It isn’t due to our efforts but due to the need we’ve seen that we have persevered. The community has also persevered. They have been so understanding of the restrictions we’ve had to follow and have been willing to work with us in a reduced capacity while we haven’t been able to be there fully for those who’ve needed it. We are so grateful to be fully operational again so that we can better serve those who are in need.