Open Heart Refuge
Overnight shelter for adults, open nightly
THE WORK
Open Heart Refuge is a 20-bed overnight shelter in Livermore for adults who are in crisis or experiencing homelessness. The shelter operates 7 days a week from 6:00 pm - 8:00 am, and includes both a hot dinner and hot breakfast.
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Monday - Sunday
6PM - 7PM Check-in for Core Group (reserved beds)
7PM Check-in for one-night-only beds (if available)
At 7PM on Thursdays there is a lottery to join the Core Group
(if a Core Group spot is available)
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We believe that providing food, clothing, and shelter are building blocks for dignity, respect, and stability. Creating an environment where people experience community is transformational.
How It Works
1. A guest who has a reserved bed is part of the "Core Group". As long as a guest of the Core Group does not miss more than 3 consecutive nights, they remain a member of the Core Group.
2. Daily at 7PM we raffle for any "one-night beds". There is no way of knowing how many beds will be available until 7PM because Core Group members have from 6PM - 7PM to check in. If a member of the Core Group does not check in by 7PM, then that person's bed becomes available for that night. Tickets are handed out to anyone waiting for a bed at 7PM and drawn for the number of beds available that evening. If your ticket is drawn, then you will receive a "one-night-bed". This does not mean you are a member of the Core Club. It means that you have a bed for the night.
3. If a member of the Core Group drops out or lapses from the Core Group because they missed more than 3 consecutive nights, then a person can "raffle in" to the Core Group. In the same way that tickets are drawn every night at 7PM, tickets will be drawn to see who gets to raffle in as a member of the Core Group on Thursday evenings at 7PM when a Core Group spot is available.
VOLUNTEER SHIFTS
SHIFT 01
5:30PM / 6PM - 8PM
This shift helps with checking in our "Core Group" of 20 guests. It consists of bag checks, metal wand searches, bagging/tagging items not allowed in the Refuge, handing out packaged dinners, and helping guests get settled in for the night. We prefer 2 volunteers for this shift, but we can get by with 1.
SHIFT 02
8PM - 12AM (midnight)
This shift consists of helping guests transition into quiet time, which begins at 9:00 pm. The lights are turned off at 10:00 pm. Most guests are already asleep, so the last two hours of this shift are spent at a table in the multipurpose room with the guests. Reading a book, watching a movie (tablet), or catching up on work email (laptop) are all popular volunteer options. Generally speaking, if anything is going to go "wrong" after 10:00 pm, it is most likely of a medical nature. Very few people wake up in the dark to go fight someone across the room. We prefer 2 volunteers for this shift, but we can get by with 1.
SHIFT 03
12AM - 4AM
Guests are sound asleep. It's a snoring factory at this point with the occasion coughing spell and a trip to the restroom or a stop at the water fountain. Only 1 volunteer is needed.
SHIFT 04
4AM - 8AM
Wake-up is at 6AM. Guests begin to stir, collect their items, help put away their cots, and drop their bedding into a designated location bound for the laundry room. From 6AM - 8AM volunteers will help "reset" the space for the community meal service that begins at noon. This means setting up tables and chairs, helping with laundry, and general cleaning. Hot breakfast is served at 7AM to guests, staff, and volunteers. Guests can also sign up to take a shower between 6AM - 8AM. Only 1 volunteer is needed.