Church Hosts ‘Conversation on Homelessness’
Over the last five years, members of First Presbyterian Church of Hayward (FirstPres) on Grove Way have made serving their unhoused neighbors a priority within their overall mission.
Every day, the congregation provides shelter, food, and other resources to hundreds of needy people at two locations. As part of its activism and community outreach, church leaders are hoping to share their knowledge about homelessness, “teach towards truths,” and share some solutions that need whole-community participation.
So, on Saturday, October 26, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the Chabot Theater on Castro Valley Boulevard, the church is hosting what it calls “A Community Conversation on Homelessness: Confronting the Myths, Sharing the Hope.” The event is designed to help debunk misconceptions and talk about the issues honestly.
“There are many myths surrounding homelessness,” FirstPres lead pastor Rev. Hallie Hottle told the Forum. “Since the Supreme Court’s decision this past July [that now allows cities to criminalize homeless people on public property], we’ve become more concerned about how those myths are informing policymaking and policing of our unhoused neighbors.”
The event will kick off with a conversation with Kevin Nye, author of the book, “Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness,” followed by a panel discussion and questions from the audience.
Moderated by FirstPres Outreach Director Aaron Horner, scheduled panelists include Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Heidi Burbank, Sabrina Fuentes with the HIV Education and Prevention Project of Alameda County (HEPPAC), Victor Mavedzenge, artist and project manager with Hayward’s Downtown Streets Team, Phil Clark with Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless (ACHCH), and Hayward Fire Department firefighter and paramedic, Frank Crespo.
“Many churches and congregations want to help,” FirstPres lead pastor Rev. Hallie Hottle told the Forum. “This one has given its whole self - its property, resources, energy, and most importantly - its relationships. The relationships that have formed here are informing how we understand, and how we provide care to unhoused folks. We’ve learned and are learning a lot. And at this point we think the wisdom gleaned here deserves to be shared with the whole community.”
The discussion comes at a time Alameda County saw a slight drop in the overall number of the unhoused, but its leaders are stymied by how to best meet the needs of the homeless where they are.
In January, volunteers identified 9,450 people experiencing homelessness as part of its biannual “Point in Time Count.” That is a 3 percent decrease from the 9,747 people counted in 2022. Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, and Fairview saw its unhoused population decrease by 42 percent (294 individuals), with 15 percent of those counted finding temporary shelter.
For its part, FirstPres operates two “emergency” shelters in partnership with Alameda County. The main campus in Castro Valley can shelter up to 50 people every night, and the other location at South Hayward Parish can shelter up to 21 people every night. During the day both sites operate a weekday Resource Center, where unhoused or housing-insecure folks can come for connection to services through case management, meals, showers, and laundry.
“Our Castro Valley site runs a number of additional programs,” Rev. Hottle said. “We run Safe Parking program, that allows folks living in their vehicles to park and sleep at night (with registration through our Resource Center). We have six tiny homes that serve as transitional housing, where 35 people have moved into permanent housing since the tiny homes were built in 2020. We have a Recovery Cafe, where folks can engage in recovery circles and seek other addiction support. And we’ve partnered with Alameda County Library System to be a remote branch, and offer our guests access to library books and an onsite computer lab.”
The church’s South Hayward Parish campus primarily runs a food pantry that serves around 800 families every week, operating Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
“We’re going to keep doing the work we’ve started, advocate for more housing and more resources to go towards support services and try to keep being a good neighbor to all,” Rev. Hottle said.
Visit https://firstpreshayward.com/events for more information.