Davis Community Meals

NEWS Davis Community Meals' Cold Weather Shelter is now (2009-11-19) open each night through March 31, 2010, from 6 pm to 7:30 am. Vouchers are required. Vouchers are available at 1111 H St, beginning at 8:30 am, on a first come, first served basis.

Volunteers are needed at the shelter for both evening and overnight shifts. To volunteer, please call 530-220-4089 or send an email to [email protected].

ABOUT Davis Community Meals is a non-profit, non-denominational organization whose mission is to provide low-income and homeless individuals and families with housing, food, and human services. The organization provides a Resource Center, Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program, free meals, Supportive Housing Program, and Cold Weather Shelter. It is one of the Homeless Resources in Davis, serving homeless individuals and families as well as others who need help in accessing basic resources.

RESOURCE CENTER DCM provides a Resource Center on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 1111 H Street. The focus of the day shelter/resource center is to provide homeless and low-income individuals and families access to basic necessities of life such as showers, personal hygiene products, clothing, laundry facilities, and other necessities. Additionally, DCM provides access to a telephone, transportation arrangements, mail address service, and a computer room. Staff and volunteers offer assistance in accessing career counseling programs, substance abuse recovery programs, permanent housing, and mental health counseling, and also provide direct assistance with life skills training. The staff and volunteers at the day shelter/resource center work cooperatively with many other agencies within Yolo County and the Sacramento region to offer services to homeless and low-income individuals and families. These include referrals, where appropriate, to Yolo County Mental Health, STEAC (Short Term Emergency Aid Committee), drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, Wayfarers Center, Communicare Health Centers, and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center. For more information, please call 530-753-9204.

EMERGENCY SHELTER AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM DCM's Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program is able to provide shelter to 16 individuals; 12 men and 4 women. Of the 16 bed spaces, 14 are reserved for individuals in our transitional housing program and 2 for emergency shelter. During the operation of our cold weather shelter, all beds at the facility are used for transitional housing. Emergency shelter is offered to homeless individuals for up to 7 consecutive nights. An individual may stay in the emergency shelter for no more than three weeks per year. Both the emergency shelter and the transitional housing program allow homeless individuals to reside in a safe and stable environment. DCM's staff works directly with individuals to formulate an appropriate case plan. Staff and volunteers offer assistance in accessing career counseling programs, substance abuse recovery programs, permanent housing, and mental health counseling, and also provide direct assistance with life skills training.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM DCM's permanent supportive housing program at Cesar Chavez Plaza is the first in Yolo County targeting chronically homeless individuals and those at risk of homelessness who also suffer from mental and/or physical disabilities, including chronic substance abuse. The supportive housing program offers a one-bedroom apartment to those adults whose incomes are extremely low and provides housing to individuals with fixed incomes such as SSI, veteran’s benefits, etc. The apartment complex has a total of 52 units, 19 of which are special needs units providing supportive services. A DCM full-time staff person provides supportive services to the 19 special needs units and to others in need in the apartment complex.

FAMILY TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM The Family Transitional Housing Program serves homeless families with minor children and currently offers eight units of housing: one 2 bedroom single-family residence: four 2-bedroom apartment units and three 1-bedroom apartment units. The maximum length of stay in the program is 18 months. The family transitional housing program allows homeless families a place to reside in a safe and stable environment that meets their daily needs for food and shelter while giving them the opportunity to receive supportive services and rebuild their lives. Our staff works directly with clients to formulate an appropriate case plan, assist in obtaining career counseling programs, substance abuse recovery programs. They also provide direct counseling, life skills training, individual planning, and assistance in obtaining permanent housing. The program is located at scattered sites in Davis. For more information, please call 530-753-9204.

COLD WEATHER SHELTER During the winter months, DCM operates a cold weather shelter to provide shelter for up to ten homeless individuals each night (eight men and two women). The shelter operates from mid November through March 31st. The program provides homeless individuals with a safe, warm shelter during the winter months. The individuals admitted to the shelter need not be “clean and sober." However, they must be able to live in a community setting, abide by the house rules, and not be a danger to themselves or others. All participants receive referrals for any needed emergency services and other community resources. The program is located at 512 5th Street, Davis, CA 95616. To access the Cold Weather Shelter, individuals should go to 1111 H Street or call 530-753-9204.

MEALS FOR ANYONE WHO IS HUNGRY DCM offers volunteer-prepared meals served at The Episcopal Church of St. Martin on Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45 to 6:30 pm. The room seats 64, with typically 32 people showing up on Tuesday and about 20 people on Saturday. During the summer, meals are often served outside. DCM welcomes seniors, low-income and homeless individuals and families, and any other members of our community. The food for the meals is obtained from many sources; gleaned from local markets and grocery stores, donated by individuals, groups and businesses, received from other non-profits and government agencies (including Yolo County Food Bank), or purchased. The food is prepared and served thanks to the efforts of individual community volunteers, religious organizations, school groups, community service groups, groups associated with UC Davis, and many others. For more info, call 530-756-4008.

The food is mediocre (rating=4 on a 1-9 scale), but at least it's nutritious. It's worth all that you pay for it. The volunteer servers place the food on your cafeteria tray, but you can choose not to have any item. Some of the items are vegetarian. For truly vegan (and tastier) food, there's Food Not Bombs, but they only serve on Sundays.

Volunteers are needed year-round for food preparation, cooking, serving, and cleanup. Other volunteer duties within the shelter/transitional housing program include evening (6pm-10pm) and overnight (9pm-8am) shelter monitors, with the greatest need during weekends — weekday help is typically needed in the Resource Center from 8am-noon. Different groups, usually church affiliated, serve each time.

2010-02-17 03:33:01   They do excellent work, and actually provide people with the resources and assistance they need to get back on their feet. I should know. I consider myself one of the 'success stories' of this group, having relied upon their shelters for more of the 90s than I care to admit. Still, with their help I was able to get a real life. If you want to make a real difference in people's lives, this is the place to do it. —Flynn

2010-07-04 15:37:13   Just curious, why does the cold weather shelter allow eight men but only two women? —MeggoWaffle

2011-07-07 13:50:45   Davis Community Meals on 1111 H st. does NOT have a computer room, does NOT assist in transportation services, and is NEVER open past 2:00pm. When mail does arrive it is held for 5 days before given to the intended receiver. They are, however, a place for people in need and provide laundry services(1 load) and showers(15 minute max.) The main problem is that the staff doesn't want to make a difference in people's lives- they're there to get paid. Porsches, 2011 Civics, and a 2009 Expedition are what the staff choose to drive to work. The lady in the front office always has either a phone or a fork to her mouth so trying to talk to someone there is the first of many labors. —JustinYoder

2011-08-18 11:03:31   They really need to do a better job at getting back to people who are interested in being volunteers. I e-mailed them months ago and never got a reply. I tried calling them a total of 3 times in total, and I get the volunteer coordinator's voice mail every time. I really wanted to volunteer here, but it looks like it's not going to work out! :( —ScottMeehleib