How We Are Organized...

ChristNet is administratively headquartered at the St. Paul United Church of Christ, 24158 Goddard Road, Taylor, Michigan. But the services provided and the organizational meetings to coordinate them take place in churches throughout the Downriver Detroit area.

Our nightly Intake Center is located at West Mound United Methodist Church, 22395 Eureka Road, Taylor, directly across from the Southland Mall. Entrance to the Intake Center is along the east side of the church. Although supported by a part-time paid Volunteer Coordinator and a Client Advocate, volunteers staff the intake center.

Our rotating host churches--Roman Catholic and Protestant--are located in Allen Park, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Ecorse, Grosse Ile, Lincoln Park, New Boston, Riverview, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Woodhaven, and Wyandotte. Many participating churches send representatives to a Rotating Shelter planning and coordination meeting held on the second Tuesday morning of each month at St. Paul United Church of  Christ in Taylor.

A Board of Directors provides leadership for the ChristNet Warming Center. The Board meets on the third Thursday of each month in the evening at Faith United Methodist Church in Trenton. The Board is responsible for administrative oversight and long-range planning for the ChristNet Rotating Shelter program.

In July 1995, ChristNet merged with the Downriver Poverty Action Agency, an Allen Park based volunteer organization with similar concerns about emergency food and housing. The merged organization acquired a 503 (c) (3) non-profit, tax exempt status that it continues to maintain.
 

How Guests Get Help:

Guests in need of emergency shelter enroll each night from 7-8 p.m. at the ChristNet Intake Center located at West Mound United Methodist Church across from the Southland Mall in Taylor.

As a part of the enrollment process, guests complete enrollment and emergency contact forms, plus sign a declaration of homelessness, and other forms, including a statement on rotating shelter policies and guidelines. They are also required to take a Breathalyzer test. Those exceeding certain alcohol limits are not allowed to enroll.

When families with children are seeking emergency housing, efforts are made to secure housing for them at either the Wayne Family Center, a transitional housing program, or at First Step, a domestic violence shelter. If space at these family-oriented shelters is not available, ChristNet provides overnight accommodations until more stable housing can be arranged.

Guests depart from the intake center to the host church via the ChristNet van at 8:00 p.m. Upon arrival at the host church, a hot supper is served. Male and female guests are provided with separate sleeping areas using light mattresses and bedding that is moved weekly between ChristNet host churches. Most host sites follow a 10:00 p.m. “lights out” policy. Some churches have shower facilities that are made available to the guests. All host churches offer guests toiletry items essential for good personal hygiene.

In the morning guests receive breakfast, plus a brown bag lunch to go. The ChristNet van arrives at 6:30 a.m. to pick up all guests and transport them to the Eureka Road corridor where public transportation is available. Before leaving, ChristNet guests are asked to help host site volunteers straighten up sleeping and kitchen areas.

The ChristNet Rotating Shelter program can accommodate up to thirty guests on any given night (depending on the facilities of the host church) on a “first come, first serve” basis.