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You may not know it, but at Shepherd’s Gate, Back-to-School season isn’t just for the kids!

Many of our women also go back to school — whether it’s to get their GED, attend college courses, or learn a trade at a technical school. It’s a very powerful way for them to make a new start. Not only does education help women to become self-sufficient again, it also gives them a huge sense of accomplishment and confidence. After what so many have been through before they came to us, rebuilding self-esteem is vital.

Take Brandi, for instance. She came to us after living in a tent for 2 years — and she’s only 20 years old! She came to Shepherd’s Gate to get free of her meth addiction, but she found so much more than that. She now has a strong relationship with the Lord, and she’s rebuilding her connection with her family.

Brandi dreams bigger than she used to. When she was living in the tent city, she hoped just to make enough money to make it through the day. Now, she’s going back to school this month to become an appliance technician — a career she’s admired since she was a kid! She hopes to have a home and a family of her own someday.

Her transformation is incredible!

Please pray with us for the women and children at Shepherd’s Gate who are going back to school this month. Pray for them to have the strength they need to work hard, learn new things, and continue rebuilding their lives. Thanks again for loving the women and children of Shepherd’s Gate. We’re so thankful for each one of our volunteers, donors and supporters!

Steve McRee
Executive Director, Shepherd’s Gate

I cannot believe it, but children at Shepherd’s Gate are already heading back to school. They face many challenges, but because of your support, we are helping these precious children get on the road to a successful future.

We’re only just starting to understand the full impact of homelessness on school-aged children. In addition to causing severe health, behavioral, emotional and mental problems, we know that homelessness is a severe hit to a child’s academic development.

To help put it in perspective, here is some information from the Family Housing Fund:

1. Homeless children experience developmental delays that hamper schooling at 4 times the rate of other children. These delays are due to complications at birth, and less stimulation as infants and toddlers. Homeless children also suffer from constant stress. Combined with the lowered expectations of their teachers, poor school readiness and inconsistent or absent parenting, these factors make it very difficult for homeless children to develop normally.
2. The circumstances of homelessness also make it difficult for homeless kids to do well in school. They’re constantly on the move, which is terribly disruptive. Forty-one percent of homeless children attend 2 different schools in 1 year, and 28 percent of them attend 3 or more schools. They perform poorly in math and reading, and once they fall behind, they are increasingly likely to drop out once they hit secondary school.

These children face overwhelming odds, but we, along with our faithful supporters, are hard at work to help both children and their mothers get back on their feet. Check back with us next week to hear some encouraging news about what can be done to help reverse the effects of homelessness on school-aged children.

Steve McRee
Executive Director, Shepherd’s Gate

Looking back, Angela’s not sure what she would have done without the help she received from Shepherd’s Gate and all of our loyal volunteers, donors and prayer supporters. What a difference you’ve made in her life!

Angela was on the verge of suicide, and when you look at her life, it’s not hard to understand why she felt so hopeless. Her parents were 15 and 16 when she was born, and her dad was a drug dealer. She grew up surrounded by illegal drugs, and she began using them when she was just 9 years old.

Thirty-five years later, she was homeless, jobless, terribly addicted, and she had given up custody of her daughter because she knew she was unable to provide what her little girl needed. She had never felt so alone.

Holding the gun in her hand, she asked God for a sign. She asked Him to show her if she had anything left to live for.

Within moments, her phone rang.

On the other end was a friend Angela hadn’t spoken to in over a decade. Soon her friend had told Angela about Shepherd’s Gate — and Angela came to us for help. She found peace, sobriety, and a loving relationship with a God she’d never really known before. She found verses in the Bible to encourage her and help her find strength.

Angela has now been sober for over 5 years, and has been working at the same job for 5 years. Now stable, she’s able to be the mom she always wanted to be for her daughter. In her darkest moment, I’m sure there’s no way she could have pictured the life she’s living now — but thanks to people who cared for her and prayed for her, she’s a beautiful picture of God’s power to change a life.

When you’re facing difficulties, what are some of your favorite scriptures to turn to? Please share them with us — they’ll be a big encouragement to other readers, as well as our women here at Shepherd’s Gate.

Carla McRee
Associate Director, Shepherd’s Gate

It’s summer time! Kids are out of school, families are taking trips together, and the weather is gorgeous.

But this time of year can be especially tough on vulnerable families in our community, as school is out and summer programs are becoming more rare due to budget cuts. The number of families losing their jobs, and losing their homes to foreclosure, is growing. There are more vulnerable families than ever before.

According to a recent statewide poll conducted by UCLA and the University of California, the recession is taking a major toll on California’s families, especially children:

• One in four California students is living in poverty (one in six before the recession began).
• Many counties are facing deep hunger — many students don’t have food to eat when they go home.
• Homelessness among students is growing (according to a report by the Western Center on Law and Poverty, more than 288,000 California children were homeless and attending school during the 2008-2009 school year — a 27% increase over the year before).

Homeless mothers and their children come to Shepherd’s Gate with many needs — food, shelter, and a safe place to heal from homelessness or abuse. These needs don’t take a break over the summer, and neither do we! We deeply appreciate your prayers, your gifts, and the many hours you give as volunteers here at Shepherd’s Gate. Thanks to you, we’ll continue to care for precious women and children during these hot summer months.

Steve McRee
Executive Director, Shepherd’s Gate

God continues to bless us this week in extraordinary ways. In only a few days we’ve tripled the number of fans on our Facebook fan page. We have an amazing community of people sharing their stories about the power of God to change lives.

Today we have more exciting news. From now until midnight Friday, April 16th, any gift over $15 given online will be doubled up to $3,000! A generous donor is so inspired by the growth of our online community that they want to help even more. Please give today. Your gift of any amount will help homeless and abused women and children.

What a great opportunity to continue to support the women and children who need our help. And gifts over $15 are doubled!!!

I hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity while the online matching gift is in effect. Please give a gift to double your support.

May God bless you for your care of the women and children at Shepherd’s Gate.

Steve McRee
Executive Director, Shepherd’s Gate

We have an exciting opportunity! A generous donor has offered to give $5 for every new Shepherd’s Gate Facebook fan.

You can help a homeless or abused woman or child by becoming a fan of the Shepherd’s Gate Facebook fan page.

Shepherd’s Gate will receive up to $2,000 for all new Facebook fans from April 9 through April 12. Money raised will help women and children rebuild their lives.

Through God’s grace, over 90% of those who go through the program are free from their previous lifestyle. By becoming a Facebook fan, you can ensure they no longer face violence, addiction, homelessness and abuse.

If you have questions, email us or give us a call at 925-443-4283.

Become a Facebook fan today. With a click, you can help provide safety and shelter for women and children in the Bay Area.

May God bless you for helping,

Steve

Steve McRee
Executive Director, Shepherd’s Gate

We’ve had some very atypical weather here in the past two months: downpouring rain for days, hail, even snow and ice. It got me thinking of a story I shared in a past newsletter and I wanted to share it with you again.

I was at a local park recently, and it began to rain. People picked up their children and dogs and ran towards their vehicles to escape the downpour, I was one of them. As I got into my car, I breathed a sigh of relief and cranked the heater. I sat there for a moment so grateful for my warm car and for the fact that I would be driving to my warm home.

It was then, that I was struck with the thought, “What if I couldn’t escape the cold and the rain, what if I had to live, not in the safety of a home but in the danger of the streets?” It was a late afternoon and beginning to get dark, as I sat there in my car, with the rain drumming loudly in my ears, I thought about the people who would be cold and shivering tonight, tucked under bridges or up under the eaves of buildings, trying to stay dry.

Have you ever tried to think what it would be like to be homeless? Have you ever imagined having no place to sleep at night, no money to buy food, no friends and family to help you in times of need? I have, ever since I encountered my first homeless person begging on the streets of San Diego.

I remember my heart breaking upon seeing the man sitting there on the corner, dressed in layers of filthy clothing, holding out his hand to people who passed him by as if he wasn’t even there. I was about seven years old, and I remember asking my dad for some money to give to the man. My father, being a man of wisdom and compassion, surprisingly said no. He explained to me that the money probably would not go towards food, but drugs or alcohol, and that would not bee good for him. My father went on to say that he sent money monthly to a homeless mission to care for people like the man I saw.

As we walked away from the man on the corner, I remember thinking in my seven-year-old mind that I didn’t care what he would buy with the money- HE DIDN’T HAVE A HOME!!

According to the Urban Institute, 3.5 million people in the U.S. will experience homelessness in a given year. One million of those people are children, who represent about 39% of the homeless population in America!

Approximately 23% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness. (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2003)

In most states a minimum wage worker would have to work 89 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30% of his or her income, which is the federal definition of affordable housing. (National Low Income Housing Coalition)

The reasons for homelessness are as diverse as the population of people that are called homeless. Whether the reason is drug and/or alcohol addiction, mental illness, domestic violence or poverty, the millions of people who will be counted among America’s homeless is growing.

As individuals, it is easy to be overwhelmed with the numbers and statistics and think we can’t make a difference with such a nationwide problem. When we remember though, that behind each number and each statistic is a name, a face, a person, and a good reason to try to affect change, even if it is one person at a time.

“Home is where the Heart is.”
“Home Sweet Home”

Two very familiar quotes that say the same thing—Home is important. Your support of Shepherd’s Gate is providing a place for many women and children who have lived on the streets or in their cars. Because of your support, they now have a place they can call HOME.

Some Facts About Homelessness
• Nearly one in five children (more than twelve million) in the U.S live in poverty (U.S Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2000 Update). The U.S child poverty rate is higher than that of most other industrialized nations.

• 46% of cities surveyed by the U.S Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness ( U.S Conference of Mayors)

• Recent research indicates that even mild under-nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reductions in physical growth and affect brain development (The Links Between Nutrition and Cognitive Development of Children Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy).

• Families are the largest and fastest growing segment of the homeless population.

Jen Harp
Director of Marketing, Shepherd’s Gate

Creative commons photo credit: Franco Folini

Each month, we like to highlight a woman from Shepherd’s Gate who is turning her life around for good with God’s help. This month’s Woman of Courage is Brenda.

Brenda was raised right here in Brentwood, CA, and though she grew up in a fairly stable home, her father was an alcoholic. She married at 20 and had two children, a daughter and a son, by the time she was 24. Brenda’s marriage was a harsh one; her husband cheated with multiple partners, and just like Brenda’s father, he was an alcoholic. Even worse, he was physically abusive when he was drunk.

After Brenda’s second son was born, her husband began using meth and became even more violent. She worried about the impact this would have on her two older kids, who were now old enough to know what was going on. She decided to leave for good.

Brenda met a man who seemed to be the exact opposite of her husband a few years later — a friend of her brother’s named Ron. Ron was laid-back, and good with her kids. Though he didn’t work, he’d stay home with the children while she worked long hours. They had two daughters together.

Ron had a drug problem, and it eventually caused rifts between Brenda and everyone who truly cared about her. Everyone, including her two oldest children, knew that Ron was bad news. Everyone knew except Brenda.

She ended up isolated and alone with Ron and their two young daughters, living out of a car. Brenda began using drugs along with Ron for the first time, and she quickly fell into addiction. And she was too ashamed to let anyone know what was really going on.

Brenda’s older children, now young adults, tried to provide for her — both her son and daughter allowed her to live with them for periods of time while she tried to get back on her feet. Ron came too, but Brenda’s son saw Ron’s cruelty to her and kicked him out.

The separation didn’t last long, as Brenda went back to Ron behind her children’s back. The drug abuse continued, also behind her children’s back.

Her weight dwindled to 80 pounds, and her son said, “Something isn’t right. You’re not acting like my mom anymore. You need help.”

But Brenda wasn’t ready. One day she asked her youngest son for $20 cash. He refused her, and she slapped him across the face — her 21-year-old son. Thereafter, her older son asked her to leave his house, crying. He was heartbroken, but resolute in refusing to enable her addiction any longer.

The same scenario played out later with Brenda’s daughter — her daughter tried to help, but eventually she too was forced to ask her mother to leave.

Brenda went back to Ron, but when Ron began to hit her, she ran out of options. A friend recommended Shepherd’s Gate at Brentwood because it would allow her to have a place to stay with her two younger girls.

It was the beginning of a new start for her. Brenda’s children were incredibly supportive once she finally decided to get help, and with a huge smile, Brenda remembers, “They told me they were proud of me.” For once, she’d done something her kids could be proud of.

Brenda has been clean for over 2 years now. She has healthy relationships with her older children and is proud of them for doing the right thing, even though it was really hard. Her younger children are in school and are doing much better now that they have a stable home.

Brenda is a Woman of Courage who acted bravely because of her children. They refused to give up on her, and they also refused to enable her addiction — and that took a very special kind of courage. Brenda knows that her children are one of her biggest gifts from God.

Do you have people in your life who refused to give up on you, or who had to do something difficult to help you move forward? We may not have examples that are this dramatic, but most of us have had people in our lives who stubbornly fought for us when we were struggling. Feel free to share your story below, and don’t forget to tell your hero thank you!

Carla McRee
Associate Director, Shepherd’s Gate

Creative commons photo credit: Leonid Mamchenov

Children come to Shepherd’s Gate from all backgrounds imaginable. The Lord has blessed us with a trained staff who accept these kids unconditionally. In time they come to experience love and joy. And they begin to laugh and wonder like precious ones who are healing by God’s amazing grace.

Here is a poem written by Jenifer, our child-care supervisor. I recently found this in one of our older newsletters and was so touched I wanted to share it with you.

Children Come

They come in hurting,
Abused,
Neglected,
Needing love.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so.

People say they are autistic,
ADHD,
Mean,
They need love I say.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so.

They come from disorder,
Chaos,
Confusion,
They need consistency,
Order,
And love.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so.

Within a few weeks or sometimes days,
They are smiling,
Singing,
And listening.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so.

So many times
I have seen
Their eyes brighten when I walk in the room
Running over to give me a hug.

Jesus loves me this I know
For the bible tells me so.

Are there poems or scripture that especially encourage you? Please leave them as a comment here so we can share with our residents. Your words will mean so much.

Jen Harp
Director of Marketing, Shepherd’s Gate

Each month, we like to highlight a woman from Shepherd’s Gate who is turning her life around for good with God’s help. This month’s Woman of Courage is Josie — one of our October 2009 program graduates.

Josie searched online for information about a California women’s shelter and recovery program because she had hit rock bottom and wanted a new start. Little by little, alcohol and depression had completely taken over her life following a heartbreaking divorce and loss of her home, and she wasn’t able to function well enough to even care for her kids. She was sleeping in her car at night to avoid driving drunk.

Josie tried many times to get sober, but each time life got to be too much, she’d go right back to the alcohol to numb her pain. “I noticed the destruction but did nothing about it but drink and put myself in unhealthy places just to be near my drug. I lost everything.”

So she looked up Shepherd’s Gate and began to call. “When I walked in the front doors of Shepherd’s Gate I sensed a feeling of relief, like I’m safe now. I felt stronger, encouraged, and determined to work on myself.”

She came to Shepherd’s Gate to get sober, but Josie found much more here: she discovered how much God loves her. She’d never been to church as a young child, but now she finds new strength in the love and grace of Jesus.

“Believing in the Lord gave me something to live for. Everyday that goes by, living at Shepherd’s Gate, I’m feeling the Lord in my heart more and more which gives me the best warm feeling I have ever had. I don’t think about the bad stuff that happened to me the same way I used to, if I even think about it at all.”

“I am encouraged to move one day at a time knowing I am not alone, going through this journey of recovery . . . a new life.”

I never get tired of hearing stories like Josie’s, because they are such a clear picture of God’s love for His children . . . He never gives up on us.

Today, I ask you to keep Josie and other women like her in your prayers. It takes a lot of strength to overcome their addictions and find freedom, but we know through Christ all things are possible!

Feel free to leave Scripture verses of encouragement for the precious women who are in our program . . . we’ll share with those here as a reminder that they have others praying for them on their journey.

Carla McRee
Associate Director, Shepherd’s Gate