The Church that Shelters
In Palm Beach County, Florida there are no real emergency shelter beds. Westgate Tabernacle provides services for over 100 people per day, sheltering 70 or more people overnight. In a society that shuns the homeless, Westgate Tabernacle accepts all, no matter how wounded or disheveled or confused. But there are rules:
If a person is seeking shelter at Westgate it is expected that they will be doing one of the following during the day:
- Be working and earning an income to help get them out of the status of needing refuge.
- Be actively participating in an educational or vocational training or rehabilitation program, and actively working with the church staff on a plan to help get them out of the status of needing refuge.
- Be actively working as a volunteer at the church or some other ministry or organization, approved by one of Westgate’s pastors, while actively working with the church staff on a plan to help them get out of the status of needing refuge.
- Recuperating from illness or infirmity, while actively working with church staff on a plan to help get them out of the status of needing refuge.
On our first visit to the church, we met the social worker and the pastor. We met men with aids, a battered woman who came in the previous evening and two fellows who were cooking (they prepare 150 meals 3 times a day with donated food). Westgate distributes free bus passes through the Palm Tran bus pass program and ensures the entitlement and eligibility of each person to this program on a monthly basis. Florida Atlantic University Wellness Center and Oakwood Mental Health Center work with the homeless at Westgate and treat them for free. About one-third are children; about one-third are veterans. The church receives no government funding.
Our Involvement
Initially, one of our donors designated a $5,000 gift for Westgate Tabernacle with the restriction that HOT match the donation. A new used van was purchased in October providing a reliable source of much needed transportation for the Church shelter. Additionally, HOT procured a laptop computer for a young woman starting junior college who had been living at the shelter since she saw her mother commit suicide a few years ago. HOT met the need for a battery charger for a wheelchair for a homeless veteran and a security deposit and first and last month’s rent for a young widow and her children.
One of Westgate’s biggest challenges each month is meeting its electric bill. We are getting estimates on insulation and upgrading to more energy-efficient equipment. There are so many ways to help the church shelter. Westgate gets a deal from Sam’s Club for prescriptions and diapers– half price – but they need $25,000 annually to pay for them. They need a commercial washer and dryer, shelving, folding chairs, plumbing and more.
Contact Information
Stephen Johnson, Westgate Tabernacle Church, 1722 Suwanee Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33409, (561) 471-9309; email: stephen@westgatetabernacle.org, www.westgatetabernacle.org
