A warm bed and a hot meal, hosted by neighbors.
Warm Nights Shelter brings congregations and community sites together to shelter families with children who have lost their housing, and offers safe overnight parking for clients who sleep in their vehicles.
Rotating shelter
Each host congregation or community site opens its space for two weeks, serving dinner, a bed, and breakfast. Then the program moves to the next host, and a core team travels with our guests so nothing is lost at the handoff.
See all programsSafe parking
Clients living in their cars get a secure place to park overnight, with volunteer hosts, restrooms, and a path to housing help.
Who it servesMore than a bed
Meals, tutoring for children, case management, and referrals help guests move toward stable housing.
See all programsHost two weeks
Congregations and community sites host guests for a two-week stint, with training and a core team alongside.
Learn about hostingRead the news
Updates on host sites, volunteer needs, and what we are learning.
The Warm Nights Shelter LetterJoin the Warm Nights Shelter list
Get occasional updates on host sites, volunteer needs, and what we are learning.
About Warm Nights Shelter
Warm Nights Shelter is a nonprofit started by volunteers, congregation members, and neighbors who want shelter for families experiencing homelessness to continue in our community. We build on years of local experience and run the program with open books and open doors.
What we believe
Dignity first
Every guest is welcomed by name and treated as a neighbor, never as a case number.
Families stay together
Parents and children sleep under the same roof, so a hard season does not also split a family apart.
Steady people
A core team travels with guests from site to site, so the faces stay familiar even as the building changes.
School comes first
Children keep up with school through homework help and tutors who come back week after week.
No cost to guests
Shelter, meals, and support are free. Guests are asked only to follow the house guidelines and work on a plan.
Open books
We publish what we serve, raise, and spend each year, and we explain major decisions to hosts, volunteers, and donors.
How a hosting stint works
- A host site signs a short agreement covering its two weeks: space, volunteers, safety, and insurance.
- The core team trains the site's volunteers and moves supplies in.
- Guests arrive for dinner, sleep, and eat breakfast before heading out for the day.
- At the end of two weeks, the core team and guests move to the next host, and the site shares what it learned.
Meet the team
Our founding board and core team. Each profile will show a photo, a role, and a short note on why the person serves.
Board president
To add Name, photo, and short bio.
Secretary
To add Name, photo, and short bio.
Treasurer
To add Name, photo, and short bio.
Program manager
To add Name, photo, and short bio.
Programs
Warm Nights Shelter offers shelter, safe parking, and the everyday help that makes it possible to move on to a home of one's own.
Rotating shelter
Congregations and community sites take turns hosting guests for two weeks at a time, with beds, showers or nearby access, and quiet space at night.
Safe parking
A supervised overnight lot for clients living in a working vehicle, with restrooms and the same referrals as the shelter.
Meals
Volunteers cook and serve dinner each night and send guests off with breakfast in the morning.
Traveling tutors
Tutors follow children from site to site, so each child keeps the same tutor and keeps up with school.
Case management
Guests work with a case manager on a housing plan, benefits, jobs, and the paperwork that stands between them and a lease.
Referrals
We connect guests with partner agencies for housing, food, health, legal help, and employment.
Programs we hope to add
To confirm Transportation to school and work, a daytime drop-in space, clothing and supplies, parent support groups, life coaching, job and resume help, and follow-up support after guests move into housing. Keep only what the board approves.
Support Us
Donate
Gifts pay for meals, supplies, insurance, and a small core team. Warm Nights Shelter is applying for 501(c)(3) status, so we cannot yet promise that gifts are tax-deductible.
To add Online donation button once the bank account and donation service are set up.
To give by check, make it payable to Warm Nights Shelter and mail it to 955 Moraga Road, Lafayette, CA 94549.
Wish list
Cots, blankets, towels, toiletries, diapers, and meal supplies are always useful.
To add Link to an online wish list.
Hold a fundraiser
Host a dinner, a drive, or a birthday fundraiser for Warm Nights Shelter. Tell us your idea and we will help with materials.
Host or co-host two weeks
Host sites open their space for two weeks: a place to sleep, restrooms, a kitchen or meal plan, and volunteers for evenings and overnights. A co-host group can share the work by covering meals or nights. Our core team trains your volunteers and stays with the guests throughout.
Volunteer
Get Help
If you or your family need a safe place to sleep, we want to hear from you. Everyone who reaches out is treated with respect and kept private.
Who we serve
- Families with children under 18, including grandparents or guardians raising children, who have no safe place to stay. This includes families staying temporarily with others or in a car.
- For safe parking: clients who sleep in a working, insured vehicle.
- Guests agree in writing to the house guidelines, including staying sober on site.
- Guests are willing to work with a case manager toward stable housing.
If our program is not the right fit for your household, we will help you find one that is.
How to start
To add Intake phone number, email, and hours. Until then, use the contact form and we will reply as soon as we can.
Contact usOther help nearby
Housing
To add Partner agencies with links.
Food, jobs, and legal help
To add Partner agencies with links.
School and children
To add Partner agencies with links.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For housing and other help anywhere in the U.S., call 211.
The Warm Nights Shelter Letter
A monthly note on host sites, volunteer needs, guest milestones, and what we are learning.
Past issues
To add Issues listed here by year, newest first, starting with the first letter.
Get the letter
Contact
Questions, media, hosting, and donations all start here.
Warm Nights Shelter
955 Moraga Road
Lafayette, CA 94549
Tax information
EIN 43-2401362. Our 501(c)(3) application is pending with the IRS. We will update this page when it is approved.
Email and phone
To add Public email and phone number.