Charity On Wheels

Unbroken Women's Event

Why are we UNBROKEN Women? Our hearts are made of many pieces and over time those pieces can be bruised and broken. Life experiences and trials can weigh on our heart and cause various sorts of emotional turmoil: insecurity, anxiety, depressions, fear, lust, unhealthy coping (drinking, drugs, self-harm, etc.). In spite of that, there is healing and restoration. God can heal all the pieces of our hearts that have been hurt. Each year, we typically host about 60 women who are homeless, in transitional housing, sober living homes, rehab and domestic violence shelters . We decorate the room beautifully, serve them a meal, do raffles, and have a key note speaker. It’s a special time for these women to be loved and encouraged on their journey to healing. This is a one time event, but our goal is also for these women to get plugged into a new support system that is positive and healthy. This could be a church or some other community group to provide ongoing discipleship.

Weekly "Mobile" Homeless Outreach

Our mobile outreach teams (numbering 3 to 10 volunteers and staff) engage the homeless weekly where they are at, out on the street. Seeking to establish relationships, our Mobile teams bring coffee, water, donuts, fruit and an invitation to attend one of our weekly “Fixed Event” dinner gatherings. Over time as relationships are forged, members of our outreach teams can identify those individuals who are ready for a change. Once trust and an honest dialogue is established a real assessment can be made. Once a real assessment has been made an effective solution can be identified. Whether it’s getting help with a treatment program, transitional housing, an employment opportunity, or a mental health referral, we have found that providing an ongoing community of support greatly increases the likelihood that an individual will succeed in permanently exiting homelessness.

Weekly "Fixed" Dinner Gathering

Each week we visit parks, alleys, and riverbeds (any place there are homeless people) and invite them to our gathering(s). We serve dinner, but unlike other organizations we actually sit down and eat with our guests. Our goal is to establish relationships in order to better assess those who might be ready to make a change. We then have music, a testimony or teaching, and dessert. Visitors are showered with love. No one leaves without an encouraging word and many are changed (both homeless and volunteer) after attending. We also give out toiletry items, shower passes, bus passes, and clothing. Through this weekly gathering our trained volunteers are able to assess individual needs and formulate solutions to help our guests get back on the road to self-reliance; whether through rehabilitation from substance abuse, mental health assistance, job placement, or access to other resources. 

Rest Center

The Rest Center provides a clean, safe environment where families and individuals experiencing homelessness can gain linkage to services and support. Open weekly using Charity on Wheel's current facility space, the Rest Center will serve an estimated 1,500 individuals annually. Space constraints an invite-only system, requiring Street Outreach Teams to hand out day passes. Services include coffee and snacks, access to Wi-Fi and computers, employment support, including resume assistance, insurance and benefits eligibility support, housing resource support, assistance with rental/housing/lease applications, mentoring, and referrals for ongoing services.