On November 16, 2020, LEFSA was blessed with 300 Women’s, Men’s, and Children’s coats from St. Frances de Chantal parish in the Bronx. During this time of the year, many of New York City’s homeless need items that will help them stay warm as the temperature drops during the winter season. Many of these coats will go to assessment sites and to family shelters as well as those we encounter that are street homeless. Our first delivery was to The Boulevard Men’s Shelter (BRC) which is a MICA (Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser) Shelter for Men. This Shelter is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. LEFSA team members have held gatherings there for years and we see firsthand the importance of this donation for these men. Ms. Harris, a BRC worker has always expressed her gratitude for all of our past donations for the men that reside there and we know she distributes those donations to the neediest men of that shelter location.
We also reach out to Franklin Women’s Assessment Shelter. When women first enter the shelter system, this is the first place they come to before they are placed into their permanent shelter. This assessment shelter located in Bronx New York. The process is from 14-21 days and most of the time they enter with just the close on their backs. This is one of the shelters that LEFSA attends too. We have not had any gathering there since the Covid-19 pandemic started, but continue to follow up with them to see what needs that LEFSA can provide for example toiletries, socks, and women’s clothing when available.
We also provide children donations to Green Hope Women’s Shelter. It’s a shelter for single women and women with children. The Coalition for the homeless has reported that there are more families with children in the New York Shelter system than single adult men and women. We thank our community participants who came to our Team Enrichment meetings, Women’s Groups, and Housing Ministry for providing this vital information that they have children in their shelter and the coats will go to children who are in need. LEFSA is always happy to have a donation that can be utilized for the good of those who are in Homeless Shelters and who maybe street homeless too.
