Dolores Mission

Men's Shelter: Proyecto Pastoral established GHP on December 12, 1988. The shelter opened its doors to address an issue that was most neglected in the community: emergency shelter for the homeless. For more than 20 years we have been providing 90-day temporary shelter and meals to homeless men. The Guadalupe Homeless Project is the only men's shelter in East Los Angeles and responds to the needs of a particularly vulnerable segment of society. A majority of GHP clients are immigrants who come to the United States looking for work, opportunity, and a way out of poverty. They hear of the shelter through word of mouth or through referrals from social service agencies. The shelter has gained a reputation for the sense of community and personal attention our clients receive while at GHP. GHP not only provides men with a safe place to dwell, but also teaches clients to take initiative for their own success and to measure this success in terms of the goals they have defined. As a requirement for receiving services through GHP, clients commit to taking proactive steps to transition into permanent housing with the assistance of trained staff and volunteers. Clients meet regularly with their Case Manager to assess progress on their goals, discuss challenges and receive resources and support to achieve independent living. GHP builds the capacity of clients to succeed independently through workshops that foster positive interactions with community members and focus on personal development. These workshops and services occur on-site, and clients who need more extensive help are transported for off-site services in the GHP van. GHP's comprehensive services are listed below.

 

Women's Shelter: In partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, former Supervisor Gloria Molina, the Department of Mental Health, and other agencies, Proyecto Pastoral recently established a pilot Women's Shelter to house vulnerable homeless women currently seeking protection near La Placita Church and in the Boyle Heights community.  Because of Proyecto's expertise in running a men's shelter, the organization was prepared to add this additional shelter to the program.  And the need is great, as it is estimated that there are more than 14,000 homeless women living on the streets of Los Angeles County.  GHP projects the program will serve a total of 60 unduplicated women throughout the year. The women's shelter maintains an overnight manager as well as a day manager, and includes the following components:

    - Two rooms of the main headquarters for Proyecto Pastoral are set aside for the 15 bed shelter;
    - It is a 14-hour, daily, secure shelter for women only;
    - The women are transported to and from Dolores Mission Church and School where GHP is based;
    - At that secondary location, they have access to two hot meals daily as well as meet with counselors and take advantage of other services offered by the GHP staff and volunteers;
    - The shelter facilities include a women-only shower, separate toilet and sink room, changing room, multi-purpose room and sleeping room;
    - The pilot program will run one year, beginning December 1, 2014 through November 30, 2015;
    - The women have access to the same services as the men's program, including individual case management, job referrals, health referrals, personal savings account, and enrichment and educational classes; and
    - The women are invited to shop for their specific clothing needs at Proyecto's La Tiendita/Thrift Center at no cost.