Scroll down for guidelines for volunteers.
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 a hot meal, for ten women. The Shelter, which is open Monday through Thursday nights during the winter months, is an entirely volunteer effort, coordinated by BHS congregants and supported by members and non-members alike, including other synagogues, schools and community groups.
Guests are brought to the Shelter by bus from a drop-in center operated by CAMBA, the largest social service agency in Brooklyn. All Shelter guests are screened by CAMBA since we are not expected to host women with emotional or physical challenges. 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. If our beds, food and hospitality were not available, many would have nowhere else to sleep.
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. The women are offered a hot breakfast when they return to the drop-in center in the morning. We encourage them to take non-perishable leftovers with them when they leave; in many cases these leftovers will serve as their lunch.
Volunteer Opportunities at the Shelter
Overnight Stay: Two adults spend the night at the Shelter. Two people may sign up together or an individual will be paired with another volunteer. Volunteers arrive at 7:00 pm and are met by an Evening Coordinator who shows them the ropes. They set up and serve dinner. The next morning they get up early, and are free to leave by 7:00 am. 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 cook or spend the night with two adults. Click here to view our Guidelines for Overnight Volunteers. 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 or ordered for delivery. Some Overnight Volunteers choose to cook as well. Cooking is also an excellent way to involve children as Shelter volunteers. Click here to view our Guidelines for Cooks. Want to know more about homelessness?
Who are the homeless?
How many are homeless in NYC?
Where do the women sleep when our shelter is closed?
How to Volunteer
Volunteering at the Shelter is not hard or scary. We give you very clear instructions and there are always people to help. Use our online sign-up calendar www.bhsbrooklyn.org/shelterschedule to choose a date to spend the night at the Shelter or to cook. This season the Shelter will be open from Monday, November 7, 2011-Thursday, May 10, 2012. If you want more information about our shelter, need help using the sign-up calendar, would like to volunteer in other ways, please contact
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, or contact shelter coordinators Andrea Feller at 917-494-7280 or Amy Cohen at 917-952-2836.
Thank you! |
