Hopes of Homeless Renewed by Church Shelter Network

Jason Seymour knows what it’s like to be homeless, to be forced to live on the streets.

With the help of the Interfaith Shelter Network, Seymour, 37, now knows what it’s like to have hope that he may be able to support himself again.

“The churches give you an opportunity to feel like a human,” said Seymour, who has been staying in churches in Mission Viejo and Corona del Mar. “When you live on the streets, you feel like your integrity is stripped. The churches give you a chance to get back into the mainstream.”

The Interfaith Shelter Network, a countywide program that provides temporary shelter for homeless single men and women, is looking for more churches to help.

Program participants rotate among churches every two weeks, said Patti Long, executive director of the Homeless Intervention and Shelter House in Placentia.

Long’s organization took over the administration of the 8-year-old network July 1 for central and north Orange County cities. Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Mission Viejo and Saddleback Community Outreach are coordinating the program in South County.

Long said her group has become involved in the network to expand shelter house services to single adults. Single men and women are the most underserved segment of the estimated 12,000 to 15,000 homeless people in the county, Long said.

Under the network, churches aided by volunteers provide shelter and food for up to 12 people. Portable showers are used and participants are given cots and bedding as they move from church to church.

The program also gives church members a new understanding of homeless issues, Long said.

Jeanne Smith, a Shepherd of the Hills volunteer, recently brought lasagna for shelter guests and stayed for dinner. “I get to meet new friends and I get a new perspective on the homeless,” she said.

Interested churches can call Long at (714) 993-5774.