Interfaith Shelter Network of San Diego
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Founded in 1986, ISN’s mission is to enable those we serve to move toward self-sufficiency by coordinating the efforts of participating congregations, social service agencies, and governmental programs in order to provide shelter and other resources to homeless individuals and families in the San Diego region. Our vision is to end homelessness in San Diego through a partnership with faith and community organizations. ISN provides a vital safety net for San Diegans who are ‘situationally’ (short-term) homeless due to some sort of housing, health care, financial, job loss, or domestic violence situation. ISN provides emergency shelter, transitional housing and rapid re-housing assistance to ‘situationally homeless’ individuals and families in San Diego and Imperial Counties. An estimated seventy-one percent (71%) of San Diego's homeless (more than 6,089 individuals) are considered short-term, or situationally homeless.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Interfaith Shelter Network - El Nido Program
Interfaith Shelter Network El Nido Transitional Living Program provides transitional housing for 12-18 months in fully furnished apartment units for homeless battered women with children fleeing domestic violence.
Interfaith Shelter Network -Rotational Shelter Program
The Rotational Shelter Program, which began in 1986, is an emergency winter shelter program operated at congregational shelter sites located throughout the San Diego county from Oceanside to El Cajon to San Diego to Chula Vista. Congregational facilities county-wide are staffed by volunteers from more than 100 faith communities in San Diego. Each of the 55 or more faith communities that serve as host sites shelter 12 homeless men, women, and children for two to four weeks. An additional 60 congregations assist at the host sites with meals and overnight supervision. Each of the guests is pre-screened and case managed by a social service agency in the community. In the past 30 seasons, we have sheltered more than 9,250 homeless individuals for a total of more than 245,000 bed nights county-wide. In a typical winter season, we will shelter 250 guests. More than half of those we serve leave for more permanent housing, and more than half of the adults leave with a job or income to which they are entitled.
Interfaith Shelter Network - Rapid Rehousing
The Rapid Re-housing Program launched in 2014. Its aim is to assist families and individuals in exiting homeless situations (e.g., shelters and transitional housing programs) into secure permanent housing. This program provides households who can maintain rent payments with the deposits, short-term rental assistance and case management services. In the three years, more than 100 homeless families and individuals have moved into their own apartments and are independently housed, paying their own rent.
Where we work
Awards
Point of Light 1991
President of the United States
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ISN's overall goal is to assist homeless San Diegans to overcome all barriers to achieving permanent housing that they can afford to keep.
In San Diego where, according to a January 4, 2017 KPBS News story, unemployment has dropped while poverty rates have risen, some 450,000 San Diegans are living below the federal poverty rate ($12,082 per year for one individual). Many of these are the ‘working poor’, who have low-paying and part-time jobs. With current fair market rents staring at $1,040 per month for studio apartments, they are at risk for homelessness.
ISN assists the 70% of San Diego’s homeless – approximately 6,000 individuals - who have the ability and willingness to move towards self-sufficiency. ISN’s clients are usually low – moderate income individuals and families who have fallen on hard times. By providing them with the shelter and support services they need, and by connecting them with the array of available resources and providing strategies for betterment that the majority of ISN’s clients move towards or attain self-sufficiency.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Case Management: ISN provides case management for all our clients to provide the information, referrals and support needed to achieve more permanent housing. Clients partner with case managers to develop individual case plans, meet benchmarks and achieve personal goals. Case managers provide client-centered empowering support, advocacy, communication and education and identifies and facilitates appropriate services and insures that available resources are timely, cost-effective, and efficient.
Community Engagement: ISN was founded as a collaborative project, and has maintained and expanded its roots throughout the San Diego community ever since. Our programs mobilize and engage the greater community in the effort to fight homelessness in San Diego. Those involved in the issue of homelessness understand that in order to be effective, homeless services must address the comprehensive nature of homelessness. By collaborating or linking with a broad range of agencies and services, and by engaging common citizens, ISN seeks to raise awareness and understanding of this issue and to leverage all of our resources to meet the varied needs of our clients.
Focused Workshops: To address two of the most common barriers to permanent housing, Career Planning and Budgeting workshops are provided for all clients. ISN's volunteer team of workshop providers address a variety of employment topics and financial issues.
The ultimate goal is for guests to remove all barriers to achieving permanent housing. During their time in our programs, they take steps towards establishing and/or increasing their income, seek affordable or temporary housing, and access any needed programs or services, such as physical and mental health care, to increase their self-sufficiency and quality of life.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
ISN is led by an 10-member volunteer Board of Directors, and employs a small, dedicated staff of six full-time and one part-time worker and the volunteer services of more than 4,000 individuals. ISN’s program managers recruit, organize and oversee volunteer efforts. Executive staff oversees operations and raises funds to support all services.
ISN maintains successful partnerships with more than 150 faith congregations and many community organizations, clubs and social service agencies to provide consistently effective programs for our clients. Our emergency shelter program provides shelter sites at 60+ congregations throughout San Diego County; sites are staffed by volunteers and supported by additional congregations and organizations. Our domestic violence transitional housing program is supported by a group of congregations and community organizations. In addition to providing valuable program services and support, ISN’s extensive collaborations and effective leveraging of community resources allows its programs to be delivered highly economically.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Now in our 32st year of operation, we have provided emergency shelter for more than 9,500 people for more than 254,000 nights, transitional housing for more than 250 homeless families recovering from domestic violence, and rapid re-housing assistance for 181 homeless households. Historically, the majority of ISN's clients have left for more permanent housing, have increased their income, and become more self-reliant.
In 2018, ISN’s leadership made a commitment to expand the Rotational Shelter program to help a drastically under-served portion of the homeless population; the LGBTQ community.
HUD reports that due to discrimination, members of the LGBT community are more likely to become homeless, and once homeless, more likely to endure discrimination and harassment that extends their homelessness. Even in emergency shelters, they commonly experience bullying and ostracism, so they most often choose not to enter shelters.
Further, LGBTQ youth are particularly endangered. According to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, forty percent of America’s 1.6 million homeless youth are LGBTQ identified. LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely to be homeless; Latinos, 33 percent; and African-Americans, 83 percent.
Partnering with the San Diego Pride organization, ISN has recruited 2 new and 3 existing inclusive and affirming congregations to provide an eight-week, LGBTQ-friendly rotation beginning July 1, 2019. ISN’s ultimate goal is to extend the rotation to year-round.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Interfaith Shelter Network of San Diego
Board of directorsas of 04/17/2023
Barbara Stewart
Laurel Hyde
Schwartz, Hyde & Sullivan LLP
Sam Lewis
Retired Sales
Neil Marmor
Retired Banker
Chris Rader
Retired Pastor
Phil Angelotti
Co-Owner, Hytech Assoc., Inc.
Taha Hassane
Imam, SD Islamic Center
Stacey LoMedico
Retired, City of SD
Judy Mantle
ISN E.D., Ex Officio
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data