In 2006, the Mission served 23,385 meals through the dining facility, of which 21,492 meals were prepared by the Soup Kitchen alone. The Transient Shelter provided 7,644 bed nights, representing a 27% increase over 2005, while the Temporary Shelter provided 631 bed nights, an increase of 9% over 2005. The Mission's Family Shelter housed 70 children, accounting for a 63% increase over 2005, while accommodating 82 women for the same time period, representing a 37% decrease from the prior year. The decrease in use by individual women and the increase in children is evidence that more families are becoming homeless than individual women.

Need To Be Addressed

The Mission is licensed for 7 beds in the temporary shelter, 14 beds in the transient shelter and 16 beds in the family shelter for a total of 37 beds. The Transient Shelter has been filled to capacity on many occasions over the past year, turning away for too many others because there was no more room. The same scenario was repeated with the Family Shelter, where entire families were turned away, again, due to the existing limited capacity and its effect on licensing and liability. There are no known alternate accommodations for families in the local area.

With a noticeable rise in potential clients being turned away toward the tail end of 2005, statistical data was compiled starting in 2006. Due to limiting capacity, 99 men, 64 women, and 82 children were turned away during this time period. With an average stay of 24.5 bed nights per client, the total lost opportunity amounted to 6002 bed nights of lodging.