

It started when a homeless man died in one of our churches.
Our goal is to prevent and end homelessness!
We serve homeless and struggling families in the
Santa Clara River Valley with shelter, food, resources
and case management.
We work in partnership with Ventura County Continuum of Care,
Food Share, Waste Free Ventura County, Behavioral Health and
State of California CalRecycle

Street Outreach
This is the most difficult part of our
work. Living on the street becomes normal, and if substance abuse is
part of their life, everything is more
complicated.They lose their important
documents, their phone, and miss appointments. They regularly change
phone numbers and everyone loses contact with them. We go where they
are and, with time, the goal is to
register them in the Homeless Management Information System to track their progress and needs.

Project Shine
Because so many kids live at
Harvard, we try to make life at the shelter seem normal. As a result, they regard Harvard as their home.
Tailored activites are arranged and trust groups come to Harvard to provide various activities including crafts,
tutoring and inspiring conversations.
Harvard Shelter is a better place because of the kids. Parents separated from their own kids share in their
care and nurture--and the kids have each other to entertain.

Food Rescue
Thanks to a grant from CalRecyle, State of California, we became pros
at rescuing food. We have two
refrigerated vans and travel throughout
the County on a daily basis to visit
various grocery stores and food outlets including Amazon, Costco, Trader Joe's and many other stores.
As a result, we manage to distribute
1 million lbs of food each year to our community and our shelter food budget is at zero. We are an efficient operation and do a lot with a little.
Homeless Family Shelter
Get to Know Us
Harvard Shelter is a place where families who have lost hope can find it.
SPIRIT of Santa Paula has been serving the least powerful and most vulnerable in the Santa Clara Valley since 2002. It provides 49 beds year-round, 175 meals a day to shelter guests and people on the streets, case management to help people get back on their feet to find permanent supportive housing, and showers to homeless neighbors in the Valley. We distribute 1 million pounds of food each year to people who are food insecure.
We have the highest Platinum Rating with GuideStar for fiscal transparency.
Needs of the Week
We appreciate your generous contribution and every little bit goes a long way

Shelter Needs
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White T - shirts (new preferred)
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Pillowcases, zippered and moisture proof
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New men's or women's underwear

Donations of Funds
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Gasoline for the vehicles
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Utilities
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Insurance
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Supplies
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Daily Operations

Help If You Can
Our biggest concern today is funding for July, August and September. Please help if you can.
