Services

We provide Bible studies and one-on-one counseling sessions with affected persons, to help them move forward in their spiritual journey. This assists the residents as they grapple with the barriers they face to full participation in society: combatting feelings of hopelessness, loss, loneliness, grief, trauma, and unworthiness. Our signature series is “Journey to Wholeness,” which teaches the Biblical principles of reconciliation and redemption.

We provide a weekly AA/NA meeting, and a weekly Christian based recovery meeting (based on AA principles), thereby providing men and women with the tools to continue their sobriety. We also actively make referrals to rehab facilities.

Every Saturday night, we provide a full dinner to about 70–100 homeless men and women at our facility in Chinatown. The meals typically include a full plate of pasta, fruit, fruit cup, granola bars, snacks, and drinks. We also have a firepit where we make s’mores each Saturday night. Many of the residents will stay and eat dinner with us, often staying for an hour or two. This is a wonderful community builder, which not only fosters a sense of community in Chinatown, but also allows us to get to know the residents on a first name basis. If we have leftover food or coffee, we load it onto a cart and pass it out tent-to-tent throughout Chinatown.

We offer a coffee and Danish/oatmeal hospitality Tuesday – Saturday at our facility, during which we provide a safe place for people to sit and chat. We open for coffee and snacks after lunch as well. We see between 40–60 people daily. Many of the residents will sit and chat for an extended period. In addition to building community, we use this time to informally evaluate men and women for services they might need.

We offer a clothing closet on an as-needed basis during the week, and for 2 hours during dinner on Saturday. Each day during the week we provide clothing to several people in need, and on Saturday upwards of 30–40 people receive clothing.

As we journey with the homeless men and women in our area, we uncover specific needs that can be met by case workers, social workers, and other agencies in the area. We put our clients in touch with the appropriate local agency providers, including Dorothy’s Place, the Navigation Center, Victory Mission, the Center for Community Health Engagement, and the City of Salinas Outreach Team. Needs include housing, employment, sobriety services, and other caseworker services. Because David Balch is a lawyer, he is often asked to continue working with our clients, even after referral, to ensure follow-up care.

David Balch is a licensed California lawyer, and on occasion the City of Salinas and/or CHE outreach teams have asked him to provide legal services to community residents who have confronted barriers to employment or housing. David Balch is currently working with five residents on legal matters. Examples include expungement of negative criminal backgrounds that prevent persons from gaining employment or housing, filing civil restraining orders in domestic violence cases, and assisting with probate matters that will help persons access funding to move beyond homelessness.

Christa Balch is a board-certified addiction doctor, and she has a two-hour volunteer clinic every Wednesday.