If you would like to donate , sleeping bags, tents, or any other equipment, even office equipment (old but working PCs needed), please contact us at 916-769-8877 and/or come by our office.

Safe Ground Office
1800 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95811

Donations of any of these items are always appreciated:

Tents

Tarps

Sleeping Bags

Blankets

Backpacks

Warm Coats
Rain Coats
Rain Boots

Scarves

Hats

Gloves

Socks

Long Johns (thermal underwear)

Umbrellas

Hand Warmers (like hunters use)

Insect repellent

Donations are tax deductible.

Join Our Mailing List!

If you would like to regularly receive this newsletter, and don't already, please let us know at

safegroundsacinfo@gmail.com

And please feel free to forward our newsletter to anyone you think might be interested in what we do.

Safe Ground Sacramento's

Community Bulletin

January/February 2014

Eighteenth issue

Hello and Welcome

Steve Watters Executive Director

to Safe Ground Sacramento's
Community Bulletin for
January and February 2014

The Safe Ground Pilgrimage Program is experiencing increased need for their services this season, and has recently compiled summary results for the last calendar year. In 2013, roughly 1,500 individuals sought assistance from the overnight church shelter program on 6,691 occasions. They were provided with 11,197 meals and 4,578 nights of shelter. If we assume a nominal value of $40 per overnight stay and $5 per meal, the program provided the community a value of $239,105 in 2013.

I would like to congratulate Safe Ground program director Dave Coburn, all the homeless volunteers on Dave's all-volunteer team that make it a success each and every time, and all the participating churches (see article below) and church volunteers who make this program possible. Dave and the team have also helped those too sick to stay, helping them access medical support and shelter where they can get well. It is a true community effort and a success in every way!

Additionally, we were able to improve the program
services in 2013 by providing healthcare and first aid items, sleeping pads for all guests, and cots for the disabled. In 2014 the program is off to an excellent start. We have a great team of homeless and church volunteers and are exploring new funding and expansion opportunities for this important year round program.

Congratulations to the entire Safe Ground Pilgrimage Team!

We are making progress on the Safe Ground Community
Project! We have an approved development budget and
forecasted operational expense budget. Currently, work continues on finalizing the location of the first site. We can now share with you that we expect to make a public announcement of an official project kickoff to develop the first Safe Ground Community location by early May of this year.

The Safe Ground Community updates will become much more detailed in the next few issues of the Community Bulletin as this project forges ahead. The Adopt-a-Cabin Program that many of you have asked about should be announced soon and we will be prepared to make presentations to your church group, employee group, or corporate/work group interested in supporting this great cause.

Stay tuned! Good news is on the way!

Steve Watters

We always appreciate your comments and feedback and
you can email us at safegroundsacinfo@gmail.com. We also need your ongoing support, so please consider visiting our donation page by clicking on the DONATE link to the left.

Quixote Village in Olympia WA

A February 19th story in the NY Times, titled Small World, Big Idea , is very interesting, and well worth reading. It focuses on Quixote Village, a community for the formerly homeless that is remarkably similar to our vision for a Safe Ground community.

Quixote Village website

Quixote Village on Facebook

Benefit Concert for Bridget's Dream at Crest

Safe Ground would like to draw your attention to a worthy benefit concert for Bridget's Dream , a nonprofit fighting sex trafficking in Sacramento.

The concert features the award winning South African choral group Lady Smith Black Mambazo,

and will be held at the Crest Theater at 1013 K Street on Wednesday March 5th at 7:30.

Full concert details, including online ticket purchase, here

Interested sponsors should contact Forrest Reed at

forresttreed@gmail.com or (916) 997-6288.

The 5th Safe Ground Benefit Show
Luna's Cafe Friday March 7th at 7 p.m.

Luna's Cafe is located at 1414 16th Street (near N Street) in downtown Sacramento. Admission is $7, on a sliding scale.

Once again, our thanks to Jenn Rogar for organizing these fundraising events, and to Art Luna for being a great host and providing such a nice venue.

Musicians Brian Chris Rogers, Jackson Griffith, William Mylar, The Thing Itself, Aja, Christopher Gene and Jenn Rogar will perform.

more info available here
5th SG Benefit show

Come enjoy the music and help Safe Ground.

We hope to see you there!

Homeward Street Journal

Our friends at the
Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee
are seeking subscribers to the Homeward Street Journal.

Homeless Street Journal is published every two months and each edition puts about $11,000 in the pockets of homeless distributors who sell the paper in public locations around Sacramento for $1 a copy. Once the goal of 1,000 subscribers is reached, Homeward Street Journal will be self sustaining.

Inside Every Issue -

* The fight against homelessness and poverty

* People in movement against austerity and war

* Struggles and triumphs

* Poetry, photos, and art
to see samples of past issues, please visit
http://homeward.wikispaces.com/

To support Homeward Street Journal -

* Subscribe for $20 per year

* buy on the street for $1 an issue
* underwrite future issues by donating

YES! I want to subscribe/donate online

Contact SHOC at http://sacshoc.org or call 916-442-2156

Sacramento Homeless Deaths Study

On December 20th National Homeless Person's Memorial Day was observed in Friendship Park at Loaves & Fishes. A focal point of the ceremony was the release of the report

Sacramento County Homeless Deaths Report: 2002-2013.

The 80 page report, which was recently presented to the County Board of Supervisors, is available here.

Safe Ground Pilgrimage Overnight Shelter Program in Midtown Sacramento

Safe Ground wants to recruit churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, congregations, union halls and business owners in the midtown area to permit Safe Ground sponsored homeless to stay overnight on their property from 6pm to 7am the next day. This provides the homeless with a sanctuary from arrest, and also, during much of the year, gives them a life-saving night free from the cold and the rain. The SG Shelter Program provides its own staffing and cleanup. Many hosts also provide a dinner and/or breakfast, but this is not required. Those who sleep with us promise to be alcohol free, drug free and nonviolent.

We need your help with the following:

Volunteers All Ages:

* Fellowship hosts - Safe Ground sponsored homeless provide check-in. Volunteer hosts welcome people and provide information.

* Coffee host - Brew and serve

* Food supplies, paper cups and napkins - Food and paper supplies are provided by volunteers - bulk items always welcome

* Food preparation and cooking - we have great kitchen captains that would love your assistance

* Food serving - Fill those empty bellies!

* Kitchen & Great Hall cleaning

* Dishwashing

Volunteers 18 Years and older:

* Overnight/breakfast hosts - men and women

All we need is a large room and someone to open the doors. We provide the rest. Please contact Dave Coburn at 916-337-7733 or coburn180@gmail.com or Amani at 916-893-0736 or amani.sfg@gmail.com for more information if you can help.

We are actively seeking new religious organizations within a walkable 3 mile radius of Loaves & Fishes to participate in the Pilgrimage program. If you are a member of such an organization, and think it might like to join hands with us in providing overnight shelter, food, and fellowship once a month, please contact Dave Coburn.

Pilgrimage Overnight Shelter Program calendar

First United Methodist Church

2100 J Street

Sacramento CA 95816

Contact: Glenn Tilton

tilton2@comcast.net

916-446-5025

January 19, 2014*

January 26, 2014*

February 16, 2014*

February 23, 2014*

* = breakfast 8:30 - 9:30

House Church logo

The House Church

1901 Broadway

Sacramento CA 95818

Contact: Ashlei Baker

ashlei@thehousechurchsac.com

916-706-2337

January 16, 2014

January 17, 2014

February 20, 2014

Pioneer Congregational United Church of Christ

2700 L ST

Sacramento, CA 95816

Contact: Pam Tureen

pamelat2@sbcglobal.net

(916) 442-0814

January 24, 2014

February 14, 2014

St. John's Lutheran Church

1701 L Street

Sacramento, CA 95811

Contact: Steve Ruder

scruder@gmail.com

(916) 412-0075

January 02, 2014*

January 09, 2014*

January 16, 2014*

January 20, 2014

January 23, 2014*

January 30, 2014*

February 06, 2014*

February 10, 2014

February 13, 2014*

February 20, 2014*

February 24, 2014

February 27, 2014*

* = homeless services open house 9 to noon

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

2620 Capitol Avenue Sacramento, California 95816

Contact: Cheri Meadows

cheri.meadows123@gmail.com

(916) 601-6441

January 08, 2014

January 15, 2014*

January 22, 2014

January 31, 2014

February 05,2014*

February 12, 2014

February 19, 2014*

February 26, 2014

February 28, 2014

* = dinner at 6

** = unplanned nights to help

with cold weather emergency

Trinity Lutheran

1500 27th Street Sacramento CA 95816

Contact: Church Secretary

(916) 456-8701

February 07, 2014

Contact Safe Ground

Location:
1800 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
(21st & R)

Mailing Address:
PO Box 1644
Sacramento, CA 95812

Website:
safegroundsac.org

Letters, Questions, Comments

are welcome. Email Contact:
safegroundsacinfo@gmail.com

About Us

Safe Ground was founded in December 2008 by homeless leaders of Sacramento's 2008-2009 Tent City encampment along the American River near downtown Sacramento. We have been incorporated as a 501(c) 3 since January 2010. We support and assist an underserved population of unsheltered homeless adults who sign a covenant to be alcohol, drug and violence free, and who are committed to using every opportunity to reintegrate into mainstream society. We help those who are among the neediest and the most overlooked.

Safe Ground advocates for the rights of homeless adults. Our goal is to create cost effective, model communities where homeless people can live in safety and dignity, without threat of violence, addiction or arrest. We envision communities that, rather than treating homelessness as a crime, embrace the dignity of each person, and provide supportive housing with a full range of social services.