Episode 7: The Gubbio Project

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Gubbio Project Staff, guests and volunteers

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“We welcome the, fullness of someone, regardless of the choices that they've made”

In this episode we feature the voice of Shannon Eizenga, the Executive Director of The Gubbio Project. The Gubbio Project at St Boniface in the Tenderloin and St John's the Evangelist in the Mission districts of San Francisco provide sanctuaries for safe and sacred sleep in their pews to over 200 un-housed neighbors.

In an effort to remove all barriers to providing a safe space, there are no questions asked, no forms to sign and no one is turned away from participating in The Gubbio Project. In addition to a safe place to sleep The Gubbio Project provides support services to unhoused community members such as socks, hygiene kits, referrals to social services, blankets, foot care, Chaplains to to provide nonjudgmental deep listening and massage.

Shannon Eizenga

Shannon serves as the Executive Director of The Gubbio Project. She brings to the role more than fourteen years of non-profit leadership experience. Shannon is passionate about building just, caring communities and to improve lives through compassionate care and social engagement. Shannon holds a Master’s of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry at The Graduate Theological Union.

The Gubbio Project

The Gubbio Project is named for an Italian town where, according to legend, St. Francis negotiated a peace agreement between frightened to townsfolk and a hungry wolf. Francis brokered a deal between the two parties in conflict by recognizing that with communication they could find common ground. In San Francisco's Tenderloin and Mission neighborhoods, working poor people live next to desperately poor people and sometimes misunderstandings and conflicts occur. The Gubbio Project is a creative response to this situation—helping housed parishioners and visitors of the church connect with their un-housed neighbors. The Gubbio Project believes that by creating opportunities for these two groups to interact and care for each other's needs, the Tenderloin and Mission neighborhoods will be strengthened.

The Gubbio Project was co-founded in 2004 by community activists Shelly Roder and Father Louis Vitale as a non-denominational project of St. Boniface Neighborhood Center located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood in response to the increasing numbers of homeless men and women in need of refuge from the streets. In 2007, with the exception of The Gubbio Project, St. Boniface Neighborhood Center ceased its operations. As a result the organization applied for and received permission from the State of California for its name to be legally changed to The Gubbio Project, continuing to operate as a 501(c) 3 non-profit, offering respite and refuge for thousands of people in the heart of the Tenderloin, while supporting connection and understanding between the housed and un-housed.

Every day The Gubbio Project lives its Guiding Principles by providing our house-less guests with daily provisions, supplies, and chaplaincy necessary for those living on the streets.

The Sanctuary and Sacred Sleep - Lack of sleep is one of the most critical health issues for people experiencing homelessness. An average of 225 un-housed neighbors seek safety and rest on the pews in the sanctuary of St. Boniface church each weekday starting at 6 AM, and for an additional 100 guests at St. John's the Evangelist in the Mission. No questions are asked when our guests walk into the churches; in an effort to remove all barriers to entry, there are no sign-in sheets or intake forms. No one is ever turned away; all are welcomed, respected and treated with dignity. The spaces are all ADA accessible. At St. Boniface, The Gubbio Project uses the back 2/3 of the sanctuary; the church uses the front 1/3 to celebrate the daily mass at 12:15 PM. This sends a powerful message to our un-housed neighbors - they are in essence part of the community, not to be kicked out when those with homes come in to worship. It also sends a message to those attending mass - the community includes the tired, the poor, those with mental health issues and those who are wet, cold and dirty. Find out more about The Gubbio Project:

Donation / Volunteer

The Gubbio Project relies on the support of donations from the public to continue to provide its ongoing services to support our un-housed neighbors. Donations can be in the form of cash, check, in-kind donations, stock and you can include them in your planned giving plans. Please consider volunteering your time and become part of the 100 plus annual volunteers to help The Gubbio Project support our fellow un-housed community members.

Videos

To find out more about the history and work of The Gubbio Project check out the videos:

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Our Sponsorship

We are fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions. Please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. If you want to send us a check, please make checks payable to Intersection for the Arts and write [Voices of the Community] in the memo line of your check. This ensures that you’ll receive an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes, and your donation will be available for our project.

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