The Gathering Inn is a nonprofit that provides comprehensive services and shelter to homeless individuals and families in Placer County, California. It began in 2004 as a collaboration between local congregations to provide winter shelter and has since expanded to offer year-round support. Services include food, clothing, healthcare, job training, and case management to help clients transition to permanent housing and rebuild their lives.

1. The Gathering Inn provides homeless women, men, and families the dignity
and resources they need to become active members of our community.
“Providing a hand-up, not a hand-out”
Vision:
To end homelessness in our community.
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Values:
Accountability: to each other
Respect: to all involved
Collaboration: with the community
Safety: for our homeless guests
Diversity: we engage everyone

2. Our History
Compelled to meet the needs of the homeless, a group of Placer County ministers met in January 2004 to
discuss opening their doors during the coldest months of the year. This collaboration of 13 congregations
provided food, shelter, hospitality, and a sense of dignity to the homeless of Placer County. After three
short years, The Gathering Inn evolved into a year-round program due to its high demand. Today, The
Gathering Inn is the preeminent program serving the homeless of Placer County, providing services 365
days a year.
Comprehensive services address the mental health, addiction, employment, medical, dental, and basic
needs of the homeless throughout the day through on-site programs. As part of The Gathering Inn’s
collaboration with the community, over 38 congregations open their hearts and doors to support the
homeless every night of the year providing food, shelter, and respect.
Who We Serve
The Gathering Inn serves the homeless
in Placer County. To be admitted into
the program, an individual must have a
TB screening, be clean and sober upon
admission, and be willing to participate
in the programs that are offered.

3. Homelessness: According to the 2015 Point in Time Homeless Counts for Placer County,
homelessness in Placer County is severely chronic and highly correlated to mental illness. These
individuals need help eradicating the barriers that keep them homeless.
• 517 homeless individuals on any given night
• 37% of these individuals are chronically homeless
• 59% of these individuals are severely mentally ill
• Chronic substance abuse: 39%
• Domestic violence victims: 37%
• Veterans: 10%
• Prior foster care: 11%
• Males: 60% Females: 40%
• Single adults: 85% Children: 15%
Sobering Statistics to Consider
According to the National Center on Family Homelessness
HOMELESS MOTHERS
• 92% have experienced severe physical or sexual assault in their lifetime.
• 63% of homeless mothers have been violently abused by an intimate male
partner. 27% required medical treatment.
• 44% lived outside their homes at some point during their childhood. Of
these women, 20% were placed in foster care.
• 36% have experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a rate three times
higher than other women.
• 66% of homeless women were violently abused by a childhood caretaker
or other adult in their household before reaching age 18.
• 43% of homeless women were sexually molested as children.
• Homeless mothers have ulcers at four times the rate of other women.
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HOMELESS CHILDREN
• 34% of school-aged children who have been homeless have lived apart
from their families
• Almost 25% of homeless children have witnessed acts of violence within
their family.
• 62% of formerly homeless, extremely low-income children (ages 8 to 17
years old) have been exposed to violence. For children over 12, the rate of
exposure to violence climbs to 83%.
• Homeless children suffer from emotional or behavioral problems that
interfere with learning at almost three times the rate of other children.
• Homeless children between 6 and 17 years old struggle with high rates of
mental health problems. For example, 47% have problems such as anxiety,
depression, or withdrawal, compared to 18% of other school-age children.

4. Services Provided
The Gathering Inn provides the following services free of charge:
• Basic needs including; food, clothing, toiletries, clean clothing and safe shelter both
during the day and overnight.
• Transportation services to outside appointments including Placer County offices;
transportation to and from the host church each day.
• On-site Gateway Resource Center which provides access to social and employment
services for our homeless guests.
• Case management services to link our homeless guests to community-based services.
• On-site Community Health Clinic which provides triage healthcare and reduced use of
community emergency medical services and is open to the community at large.
• On-site Dental Clinic which provides comprehensive dental services.
• On-site clothing closet which provides appropriate seasonal clothing to our homeless
guests as well as community members who need help making ends meet.
• Access to Recovery services, a substance abuse treatment program.
• Mental health screening, in partnership with Placer County, to access emergency mental
health intervention and support. Life skills training to build basic social and behavioral
skills that are prerequisites for successful living.
• Interim Care Program (ICP), in partnership with Sutter and Kaiser Hospitals, provides
housing for hospital patients who would otherwise be discharged to a homeless situation.

5. Quick Facts
• On average, 62 homeless
guests are provided showers,
shelter, and served a nutritious
dinner daily.
• 40% of the homeless served
are women and children; with
17% including families with
children under the age of 18.
• There has been a 19% increase
in the number of homeless
families seen since 2014.
• 26% of the homeless guests
have been without a home for
one year or more; 43% have
been identified as having mental
health issues; additionally 21%
have a physical disability.
• 67% of the homeless guests
retained or obtained food
stamps; 57% retained or
obtained general assistance.
• 6% of our homeless guests are
veterans
Our Impact in 2014
• Case management services located and placed over 160 homeless people
into permanent housing.
• County and city officials report reduced calls to local police, fire, and
emergency personnel.
• Over 22,000 bed nights/meals were provided.
• Over 350 homeless received medical services at the on-site medical
clinic.
• Over 100 homeless guests received dental services at the on-site dental
clinic.
• Over 45 homeless guests received services at the Interim Care Program
reducing the number of 911 calls and emergency visits.

6. From Some of Our
Homeless Guests
The raw numbers are important, but behind
every number is a person with a true, real-life
story. A person like Robert. Upon graduating
from Foothill High School and Cosumnes
River College, and drafted by the Philadelphia
Phillies organization, Robert found himself
homeless after battling a methamphetamine
addiction. After living in his car for three
months, and the last five days of that time
eating out of a jar of peanut butter, Robert
finally let go of his pride enough to walk into
the front door of The Gathering Inn.
He is thankful he did. Robert took advantage
of the hand-up he received and got himself
back on his feet, freed himself of his addiction,
and is now giving back to the community by
working for The Gathering Inn. As Robert has
stated, “I want to give back to the place that
gave me so much.”

7. Amadeus: A Father of Five at The Gathering Inn
Amadeus was born in 1982, and was one of 9 children. With so many siblings, Amadeus quickly learned how to cook
and clean, and it wasn’t before long that he discovered cooking was his passion. “I was self-taught, from the Food Network
Channel,” he laughed. “I got my first job at 16 years old by walking into a restaurant called The Ranch House. I just walked in
and told them that I could cook, and that they should let me try.”
“When my fiancée and I started having more children, I knew I would need more money than being a chef could
provide, so I got into construction.” But tragedy struck when one day complications from his job led to Amadeus needing
back surgery. Amadeus now has 10 inches of steel and 8 bolts going through his spine. After the surgery, he returned to work.
“But the bottom two bolts were loose, and I could feel them going in and out of my bone. There was no way I could continue
in construction. I could barely walk. I had become disabled. I fought to get SSDI for three years. Throughout the process
neither I nor my fiancée could work. Just to survive and pay rent we had to start selling all of our resources and assets. We
lost it all. When I finally got a judge to review my case, he said I wasn’t disabled enough and that there were plenty of jobs. I
asked, ‘where are these jobs?’ The judge said I could work as a ticket ripper on a toll bridge. I lived in Los Angeles at this time;
there are no toll bridges in Los Angeles.”
“We came to The Gathering Inn because it was one of
the few shelters that would take in the whole family.” Now,
Amadeus can focus on improving his and his family’s life.
“We are so blessed to be here. We don’t even get a chance
to need anything. This place gives me motivation. I can ask
them for anything. It’s amazing what happens when people
take hold of the opportunities that The Gathering Inn has
to offer.”
Amadeus is currently going to Sierra College,
taking classes to become a probation officer, with plans
to graduate in 2019. “My situation has given me so much
compassion,” says Amadeus. “I want to be a probation
officer to work with high level security children. I want to
work with the children that other people say there is no
hope for.”

8. How You Can Help
Each year over 450 homeless individuals
are served by The Gathering Inn. The
costs to society are great; homeless
individuals tend to move in and out of
expensive emergency services such as
hospital emergency rooms, substance
abuse treatment facilities, and even jail.
The average cost of an indiviual visit
to an ER is $3500; to arrest someone
costs over $400 and jail time is over
$100 dollars a day, not to mention the
physical and psychological effects that
homelessness has on an individual.
The Gathering Inn reduces these costs
by providing a place for the homeless to
receive help rather than be on the streets
consuming city and county resources. By
providing a safe place to stay, surrounded
by supportive and caring staff, The
Gathering Inn provides homeless
women, men, and families the dignity
and resources they need to become active
members of our community.
There are several ways to provide a
hand-up, not a hand out, to those in need
in Placer County.
$4,800
Gift Amount
A Family for a Month
With Your Help, We Can Fund
An Average Guest Stay
A Guest for a Month
A Guest once a month for a year
A Family for a Day
A Guest for a Day
Other Gift of Your Choosing
$2,000
$1,200
$480
$160
$40
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