rain or shine, we give people shelter as we help them navigate their way home.
DOROTHY DAY HOUSE
main shelter
Our main shelter is located in the Veterans Memorial building in the heart of downtown Berkeley. Here, we regularly shelter 50+ full time residents.
Our goal is to help residents transition to their own home by promoting increased self-sufficiency and community involvement. Instead of policing our shelter residents, we restore their sense of self by recognizing them as individuals with needs, wants and goals. We ensure residents are physically, emotionally and economically ready to accept the responsibilities of independent living.
Residents receive assistance with medical, mental health and addiction care along with daily access to our community resource center. We also offer an in-depth workforce training program in the food, social services and retail industries so residents can secure employment.
Each resident is assigned a housing plan and meets regularly with our staff to prepare the documentation required to enter permanent housing. The majority of our staff are trained to conduct housing assessments using the Alameda County Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). We are one of only two agencies in Berkeley licensed to provide these assessments and extend this service into all of our shelter programs.
Our entire approach is to make sure shelter residents don’t return to the streets - something to celebrate!
DOROTHY DAY HOUSE
beyond the horizon
Beyond the Horizon is transitional hotel-style housing located in Northwest Berkeley. Here we shelter more than 25+ residents, most who have come from encampments. At Beyond the Horizon residents have the opportunity to use their own rooms as a “mock apartment” while building skills to regain and sustain their independence.
Our focus at Beyond the Horizon is to support residents in becoming caring, involved members of our shelter and neighborhood community. We facilitate peer support groups, conduct workshops on self reliance and financial independence, offer job training and links to employment opportunities, and assist residents with documentation to secure permanent housing. We also provide mental health, harm reduction and addiction support through regular evaluations and partner agency visits.
We take joy in watching our residents as they get the keys to their own home. It’s the happiest day!
DOROTHY DAY HOUSE
berkeley emergency storm shelter
Our storm shelter is set up to support 25 unhoused community members for the entire winter season. The shelter is located in old Berkeley City Hall — right off Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley.
The storm shelter provides an escape from the unpredictability of living in encampments or alone on the streets during the toughest weather months of our year and offers a stable place to call home for individuals who are often uncomfortable staying in traditional shelter environments.
Our shelter residents receive meals, medical, mental health and addiction care, full access to our community resource center, and housing support from our staff. We promote and facilitate reunification with family as well as giving residents the option of continuing shelter with Dorothy Day House or neighboring facilities, which many chose to do instead of returning to homelessness. And we love that!
2134 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
November - April
daytime
(510) 705-1325
after hours
(510) 705-1516
DOROTHY DAY HOUSE
berkeley inclement weather shelter
Our inclement weather shelter has the capacity to offer 40 people a place to stay on a night by night basis during the coldest and wettest months of the year.
The shelter is open on nights where there is 50% chance of rain or when the temperature drops below 45°F. We take the time to build relationships with our unhoused neighbors and share information the additional services that are available through Dorothy Day House and our partner agencies, continuing to show those who are currently homeless the possibilities beyond life on the street.
1931 Center Street (Auditorium)
Berkeley, CA 94704
November - April
6 pm - 8 am*
daytime
(510) 705-1325
after hours
(510) 705-1516
*open when 50% chance of rain or below 45°F
more ways we serve.
We continuously respond to the needs of our homeless community.
Homelessness is a complex issue. We adapt what we offer in response to new insights we gain from working with our unhoused neighbors.
We created Horizon Transitional Village, a tent community in converted warehouse, to help people transition from outdoor encampment living, and a safe parking and respite kick start program for people living in RVs. These unconventional approaches allowed us to reach people who were resistant to traditional shelters by providing alternative environments were they felt safe and comfortable. In these non-traditional settings we were able to build relationships, provide medical, mental health, addiction and legal referrals, and housing support. The result? Many people were able to return to indoor life. See it here.
We continue to rethink what shelter looks like and hope to have the next versions of our tent warehouse and RV parking models alive again soon.
