San Francisco, CA — Today, Mayor London N. Breed, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), the San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC), and Episcopal Community Services (ECS) announced the return of San Francisco’s Interfaith Winter Shelter program, an initiative that with the participation of a range of different faith communities offers shelter and other services, including hot meals and mobile showers for people experiencing homelessness throughout the winter season.
Now in its 36th year, the program officially opens today and operates through March 30, 2025, and will increase San Francisco’s shelter capacity from 30 to 80 beds per night depending on each site’s space. This year, the shelter will rotate between five different locations, each represented by a different faith community, to provide prepared meals and beds in preparation for the winter season. As in previous years, the program will accept self-referrals.
“San Francisco is a city of opportunity and compassion, and our investments and partnerships with local organizations over the last several years have allowed us to expand shelter and housing, as well as implement programs to prevent people from becoming unhoused in the first place,” said Mayor London Breed. “For over three decades, the Interfaith Winter Shelter program has helped so many people access shelter during a particularly challenging time of year and has served as a great example of how we can expand our services to help the City’s unhoused community during the holidays and the inclement weather season. I want to thank our partner faith organizations for their unwavering support for this initiative as we continue to make significant progress in our work to address homelessness.”
San Francisco provides shelter and housing to nearly 15,000 homeless and formerly homeless individuals nightly, of which include over 4,000 in shelters. Since taking office in 2018, Mayor Breed has significantly expanded and improved San Francisco’s homelessness response system, leading to the number of people living on the streets to reach the lowest level in at least 10 years. Under her leadership, the City has expanded shelter beds by over 70%, and increased housing slots for formerly homeless individuals by over 50%. During that same time, San Francisco has helped over 20,000 people exit homelessness thought City programs.
“We continue our shared dedication to ensuring that no one in our community has to face the harsh winter months alone.” said Shireen McSpadden, Executive Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “With the addition of extra shelter beds available through Interfaith Winter Shelter, we are grateful to provide not just a warm and safe place to sleep, but also nourishing hot meals and access to showers for those in need. This long-running successful initiative is a testament to our collective compassion and commitment to support our most vulnerable neighbors during this critical time.”
The Interfaith Winter Shelter program is a seasonal, overnight-only (6 p.m.-7 a.m.) congregate shelter operated by ECS, in partnership with SFIC and HSH. The program rotates between the Canon Kip Senior Center, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, St. Mark’s Lutheran, First Unitarian Universalist Church and The Quaker Meeting House. Placements will be on a first come, first served self-referral basis for people 18 years and up.
"For San Francisco's 800 communities of faith and religious institutions, responding to the essential needs of our City's most vulnerable siblings is more than just an act of charity, it's a moral imperative. Providing home cooked meals and a warm, safe and welcoming space for those barely existing on our City streets to sleep is the mission that gave birth to the San Francisco Interfaith Council (SFIC) three and a half decades ago,” said Michael Pappas, executive director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council. “The Interfaith Winter Shelter's enduring collaboration, founded and overseen by the SFIC, sanctioned by the SF Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, staffed by Episcopal Community Services, and generously supported by four host sites and over 50 meal providers, makes it possible for the City to meet the basic human needs of up to 80 of our homeless residents, during the coldest and rainiest season, from the Monday before Thanksgiving until the end of March. We pray for the day that shelters are no longer needed. Until then, we open our doors and care for those in the greatest of need.”
ECS has been providing the services for the Interfaith Winter Shelter for the last 36 years with funding from HSH.
"For many unhoused San Franciscans, the Interfaith Winter Shelter is a sanctuary, offering respite, comfort, and safety during the cold winter months," said Beth Stokes, Executive Director of Episcopal Community Services. "We are deeply grateful to our partners at the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the City of San Francisco, whose continued commitment to this program has empowered ECS to help serve vulnerable San Franciscans through the Winter Shelter for over 36 years."
“The winter months are an especially difficult time for people living unsheltered. The expanded winter shelters are a welcome added resource to our mission of ensuring the streets of San Francisco are clean and healthy for everyone,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, Executive Director of the Department of Emergency Management. “Our street conditions outreach teams work very hard day in and day out to help people living on our streets access shelter and other City resources. The additional shelter resources the Interfaith Winter Shelter System provides help our outreach teams to bring people experiencing homelessness indoors.”
For more information about the 2024-2025 Interfaith Winter Shelter Program, including dates and hours of operation for each site, please this link.
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