Located on the ground floor of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, 131 Remsen Street, between Henry and Clinton Streets, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Homeless Shelter provides a warm, safe place to sleep, along with dinner and breakfast, for ten women Monday –Thursday from November to April.  The Shelter is an entirely volunteer effort, coordinated by BHS congregants and supported by members and non-members alike, including other synagogues, churches and community groups.

Guests are brought to the Shelter by bus from the John Heuss Center, a drop-in center and social service agency in lower Manhattan. The only thing all our guests have in common is that they are homeless women.  They are otherwise a diverse group in terms of age, background and circumstances.  Some women will spend the night in our Shelter having been at work all day. The women are pre-screened, since we are not really equipped to host women with severe emotional or physical challenges.

Although the women may have eaten before they come to the Shelter, we provide an evening meal each night.  The hospitality and opportunity to dine in a small group setting are at least as important as the food we serve.  In the morning we also offer breakfast, and the women are encouraged to take non-perishable leftovers with them when they leave; in many cases these leftovers will serve as their lunch.

The two overnight volunteers arrive at 7:00 PM and are greeted by a shelter coordinator who shows them the ropes. Dinner is made by volunteer cooks and delivered in advance. The women arrive at around 8:00, are served dinner, and go to bed soon thereafter. The overnight volunteers clean up and set things up for the morning. They get up early and serve the guests a hot breakfast before they leave at 6:30. The volunteers are then free to leave, usually by 7:00 AM.

It is a very interesting and rewarding experience and the guests are very appreciative. If our beds, food and hospitality were not available, many of them would be forced to sleep on chairs at the drop in center. The more volunteers we have, the longer we can stay open. It is not hard or scary. We give you very clear instructions and if you like, we can pair you up with someone who has done if before. Won’t you consider it?

Volunteer Opportunities at the Shelter
Overnight Stay :  Our most critical need is for overnight volunteers. Generally, two adults spend the night at the Shelter; two people may sign up together or an individual will be paired with another volunteer.  A child over the age of Bar or Bat Mitzvah is considered an adult and may spend the night with a parent.  Children under the age of 13 may help cook or may spend the night with a parent and a second adult. It is a very significant experience for them. More information...

Cooking :  Volunteer cooks may prepare a meal at home and deliver it to the Shelter kitchen by 7:00 p.m. with a description of the meal and instructions for serving/heating.  Alternatively, the meal may be prepared on site.  Some overnight volunteers choose to cook as well. Cooking is also an excellent way to involve children as Shelter volunteers. Desserts, in particular, are always popular. More information... 

Pinch-hitting:  When there is a last-minute opening for an Overnight Volunteer due to illness or other unavoidable emergency, the Coordinators turn to the Pinch Hitters list.  Placing your name on the list does not obligate you to step in when called, only to consider helping on short notice.  To place your name on the Pinch-hitters list, contact Barbara Deinhardt, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

How to Volunteer
A volunteer sign-up calendar will appear here in the fall when we begin recruiting volunteers for the 2008-09 shelter season.  Meanwhile, if you would like more information about our shelter, or you would like to join the Shelter Committee, please contact Barbara Deinhardt at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sign Up to Spend the Night or Cook
Use our sign-up calendar www.bhsbrooklyn.org/shelterschedule to choose a date to volunteer at the Shelter.  This season the Shelter will be open from Monday, November 24, 2008-Thursday, April 2, 2009.  If you would like more information about our Shelter, need help using the sign-up calendar, or you would like to join the Shelter Committee, please contact Barbara Deinhardt at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .