St. Luke's Shower Program

As we face violence and division in our community, country and world, the public witness of the church as a place of radical hospitality and justice seeking is particularly important. In who we are, how we love, and all we do, St. Luke's/ San Lucas strives to be beloved community. We journey with a loving, compassionate and justice-seeking Jesus, striving to: fully affirm everyone; joyfully embrace diversity; courageously pursue spiritual and social transformation; willingly accept challenges; repair the hurt we cause; and equip everyone to make God's vision for the world a reality

The St. Luke's/ San Lucas community responds to the needs of those who are unhoused through direct service and advocacy for more affordable housing; being a Sanctuary Congregation, supporting those who are undocumented, and working for immigration reform that offers pathways to citizenship; and extending hospitality to and advocacy for members of the LGBTQIA+ community in Long Beach.

Through Long Beach Gives, we hope to raise operating income for Shower Power & Manna Meals, which provide showers, clothes, and food every Saturday for our unhoused neighbors. The Shower program signs in about 30 women and 70 men each week. Most weeks 65% of the women take showers, and 50% of the men. Most women get clean clothes, and about 70% of the men. Every Saturday, we distribute 100-150 hot meals. Unfortunately, we are among few non-profit or city homeless services programs that operate on the weekend.

19% of Long Beach lives below the poverty line, and the 2022 homelessness count of 3,289, shows an increase of more than 76% when compared to the count in 2020. Although the city is only 13% African American, 38% of the homeless population identifies as Black/ African American. Overwhelmingly, our guests have behavioral health challenges and substance use disorders.

In past LB Gives Campaign, we have invited Shower Program guests to record brief testimonial videos. The willingness of guests to share their stories as they encouraged people to support the Shower Program has moved us greatly. Having surpassed our fundraising goal, we had a chance to talk with guests about what enhancements in our program would they most want to see happen. Both the money raised and the involvement of guests in how to allocate some of the funds moved us closer to "becoming beloved community."

Every Saturday, Shower Power & Manna Meals provide more than 100 of our unhoused neighbors with a place of safety, care, and hospitality. Especially during the pandemic, people living on the streets have found few places of refuge and welcome. Having access to bathrooms, and being able to shower and put on clean clothes undergirds both personal health and emotional well-being. As guests emerge from the Showers, they often comment that they "feel human again." Receiving coffee, water, and a hot meal as well as fruit and snacks to go provides comfort and sustenance for many who face food insecurity.

Our First Aid Station allows our volunteer nurses to treat minor sores, cuts, and abrasions, take temperatures and blood pressures, and encourage guests to seek medical attention, which make a difference in people's lives. Our monthly barber provides free haircuts for men. Our monthly dental clinic allows people to get their teeth cleaned, and have possible oral health issues identified. In 2023, we hope to have a satellite of the Multi-Service Center (MSC) at our campus to increase access to the services that the MSC offers, right where there is the highest need.

Emerging from our conversations with our guests, we have mindfully involved more guests in managing our Shower program. Guests and former guests help in the kitchen, volunteer sorting and organizing donations on Thursdays, and volunteer with Showers on Saturdays. Today, a recently housed woman who has been a regular at the Shower Program for years, helped sort and organize clothes for Saturday. Dee's pride in giving back was visible in her broad smile. She also tells us that without our support and belief in her, she would not have been able to make the transition from the street to permanent housing. Our next program expansion will be Laundry nights. We also are exploring creating a fund for small grants or loans for people who are moving off the street into permanent housing.

St. Luke's is called to be a generous community, sharing our resources with each other and with the world. We are dedicated to seeking social justice for all of God's people, respecting the dignity of every human being, and responding to human needs.

Testimonials

"My name is Robert Freese and I want to share with you some thoughts about "Meeting God in Ministry," based on some experiences volunteering in the St. Luke's Shower Program. A few years ago, on my first shift with the Shower Program, I had little idea what I was getting into and by the end I was drained, numb, and certain that I did not have the right temperament for this project...