Churches for Streets of Hope

Mission: To bring high quality, compassionate care to individuals experiencing homelessness or who are otherwise in need, by mobilizing the faith community and others in Baltimore County, thus rekindling hope and aspiration in those we serve as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

In 2009, a homeless man passed away from the cold on the streets of Essex, Maryland. He was not the first nor the last, as several local churches learned. Although they did not know who he was or where he came from, his passing right in their neighborhood helped them understand a true and lasting problem. They realized that although there were systems in place to care for the homeless in Southeast Baltimore County, someone could still lose his life to the elements.

Why? Was shelter not enough? Ending homelessness is more than finding a place with a roof and walls. It is about friends and neighbors who will care for someone, even when everyone else in his life has given up.

We incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2010 to garner support from our churches, the public and Baltimore County. Since then we have expanded to offer year-round case management and housing stability services, to men, women, and families. We continue to make new success stories with the folks we serve.

Streets of Hope – the Cold Weather Men’s Shelter provides 16 beds and warm meals to homeless men in the cold weather months, serving 30 to 50 men per year. The time limit keeps our guests actively looking for physical and spiritual improvement so they are prepared to move on when the closes at the end of April. With a coalition of church volunteers from all denominations, we build relationships with our guests that carry beyond our open months. These relationships lead to jobs, new homes, and lasting support networks.

We’re looking for Volunteers!

• Volunteers with strong bookkeeping skills which include QuickBooks online and payroll (we are using ADP for payroll) who will work with our Treasurer and accounting firm. We estimate the workload is about 12 hours per week on average. Our bookkeeper would interact with the Director of Operations, Executive Director, and President. With everything being online, this is something that could be done remotely. We have an office where the volunteer could work if they want to get out of their home and interact with people. This could also be handled by two people, one taking care of the bookkeeping and the other taking care of the payroll.
• We are also looking for someone with some computer skills to assist the coordinator of our volunteer meal team program. Our organization relies on volunteer teams from churches and local organizations to prepare and serve food to our clients during the cold weather season 7 nights/week, as well as twice a week during the warmer months.