services
What we do
Chronic homelessness in California is skyrocketing, and Salinas is no exception. Closer Walk works among the tents in Chinatown, where the largest percentage of chronically homeless live. There are no easy solutions. Beyond the lack of housing, the chronically homeless have a much higher rate of drug addiction and mental illness. Overlain on this is a deep spiritual problem: a lack of hope, sense of worth, and community.
At Closer Walk, we believe that outreach must be relational, not transactional. We sit outside on the Soledad Street sidewalk each day with a pot of coffee and some snacks. We share stories and get to know the folks in Chinatown. We have a clothing closet that serves 30-40 people weekly. We provide hospitality to 40-50 people daily and dinner to 80-100 folks each Saturday night. We also refer community residents to service providers for housing, jobs, drug rehab, etc. Just as importantly, we are building a sense of community where every resident feels welcome. Folks come back, day after day, because they feel safe, valued, and heard.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17)
HOW DO WE DO
Closer Walk has three main goals
Meeting the immediate physical needs of our guests; building a sense of community among the Chinatown residents; and working with the residents to identify longer-term needs, such as housing, employment, sobriety, legal challenges, medical needs, etc. To achieve these goals, we offer the following services:
Small-group and individual care
We provide Bible studies and one-on-one counseling sessions with affected persons, to help them move forward in their spiritual journey....
AA Services
we provide a weekly AA/NA meeting, and a weekly Christian based recovery meeting, thereby providing men and women with the tools to continue their sobriety. We also actively make referrals to rehab facilities.
Saturday Night Dinner
Every Saturday night, we provide a full dinner to about 70-100 homeless people at our facility in Chinatown. This is a wonderful community builder, which now only fosters a sense of community...
Hospitality
We offer a coffee and Danish/oatmeal hospitality Tuesday – Saturday at our facility, during which we provide a safe place for people to sit and chat. We open for coffee and snacks after lunch as well.
Clothing Closet
We offer a clothing closet on an as-needed basis during the week, and for 2 hours during dinner on Saturday. Each day during the week we provide clothing to several people in need...
Referrals
As we journey with the homeless men and women in our area, we uncover specific needs that can be met by case workers, social workers, and other agencies in the area. We put our clients in touch with the appropriate local agency providers...
Legal Assistance
David Balch is a licensed California lawyer. Upon referral from local outreach teams, David provides pro bono legal services to community residents who have legal barriers to employment or housing.
Medical
Christa Balch is a board-certified family practice doctor, who oversees a part-time volunteer medical clinic.
Long term plans
Closer Walk has been open for 13 months. While we are still focusing on our day-to-day activities, we are contemplating two specific areas of expansion:
- Legal Clinic
- Medical Clinic
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Be part of the change
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world”
(James 1:27)