Newly Formed Task Force Needs Your Assistance

Some of you may know that the situation with unsheltered individuals camping on our property has caused several serious negative effects on our ability to maintain a safe and sacred space for ourselves and importantly, for our service partners, the Concord Spanish Seventh Day Adventist Church, SHARE, Montessori AA, and Sweet Beginnings Diaper Bank.

During their meeting on October 26, the Admin Council formed a task force to address safety and security concerns for the church campus and to find a compassionate way to help un-housed neighbors.

We are seeking volunteers to support the Unhoused Task Force by providing evening presence on campus and, if necessary, coordinating police assistance for repeat overnight campers. Interaction with the campers will remain the responsibility of the Task Force members. We will start turning campers away in the evenings, and we need as many people as possible to help the Task Force ask them to leave. Additionally, we will do this in the mornings because we know some of our unhoused neighbors return to spend the night after we leave the church in the evening.

Additional volunteers for cleanup would be helpful. Volunteers will need grabbers, gloves, trash bags, and masks, A power washer may also be useful. Those helping with cleanup will remove graffiti and dispose of needles, feces, trash, cigarette butts, empty bottles, cans, and similar items.

If there is any small way you can assist with these efforts which we hope will be temporary and lead to the desired outcome, please contact Brook, Audrey, Elaine, or Inverleith. Please know that we treat each person with care and respect, and as a first step, we are working with social service providers to inform and connect the campers with available resources shelter waiting lists, and more. Thank you!