The Sunnyvale Sun

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Photograph by Diana Diroy

Safe Haven: Linda Cunningham has been coming to the National Guard Armory cold-weather shelter in Sunnyvale every night since it opened. The shelter provides the homeless with a place to eat and sleep every night.

Shelter opens doors to cold-weather refugees

By Lydia Sarraille

The holidays are heating up just as temperatures are going down, and for those without a home this year, the cold can be especially cruel.

In Sunnyvale, nonprofit emergency-housing provider EHC LifeBuilders has again opened its cold-weather shelter for the homeless.

The shelter, located in the National Guard Armory at 620 E. Maude Ave. in Sunnyvale, holds 125 people at maximum capacity and is open from the day after Thanksgiving until March 30 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. The shelter has been in operation for 19 years.

Hilary Barroga, director of communications for EHC LifeBuilders, said last year the shelter stayed open a few days extra because of inclement weather, which is what she said makes the shelter so important.

"This is a place to come and get your basic needs met," Barroga said. "When the weather gets very cold, it's especially important to get people inside. If someone is sleeping outside at this time of year they could become very ill or die. [The shelter] is a warm, safe place to sleep."

The shelter has not yet reached maximum capacity, but since more than 20,000 people go homeless in Santa Clara County each year, Barroga said she and the shelter's directors anticipate filling up all the beds each night when word gets around.

"When we do start filling the place up, anyone we don't have room for we'll try to place somewhere else," Barroga said.

A second EHC LifeBuilders cold-weather shelter is located in Gilroy.

William Knowles is working at the shelter this winter as well as in various other temporary jobs. He said he knows what the guests of the shelter are going through because he was homeless in 1997 and 1998.

"The first day I was homeless, I held a sign by the road that said 'homeless victim' because that's what I was," Knowles said. "I didn't do that good that day, but the next day I said something like 'will work' or something, and this guy from Replacement Pros came over and asked me if I was serious."

Knowles said the man who stopped that day helped get him a job at Bloomingdale's as seasonal help.

"It took me two years to get back on my feet," Knowles said. "I want to help out other people who find themselves without a home."

Knowles, who lives in San Bruno, works the overnight shift three days a week at the shelter while it's open.

"I just stay here all day when I'm working because it's too long to commute every day," Knowles said. "But I don't mind because I understand these people. That's what makes it a good shelter: The people who work here can understand what the homeless are going through."

Judy Castillo stayed at the Sunnyvale cold-weather shelter last year and has returned this year. Castillo used to clean houses in San Francisco, but when the economy slumped many of her clients told her they could no longer afford to hire her.

"I slept at the San Francisco International Airport for a while," Castillo said. "It's good there because it's warm and safe. There are policemen who go all over all night long."

The police eventually asked Castillo to leave the airport, and she came to San Jose about five years ago.

"First I went to Little Orchard [another shelter run by EHC] and then I heard about this place," Castillo said. "I like it here because they let you come and go when you want, and the food is very good."

Jerry Steach, a high-tech public relations professional from San Francisco, said he has been volunteering every year at the shelter since about 1992.

"Most of my clients are located in Silicon Valley, so I'm down here a lot for meetings anyway," Steach said. "This is a wonderful place. The guests are really appreciative and respectful, and it's very enriching to work here."

Steach said one of his favorite parts of working at the shelter is the stories he hears from the people who come in to be fed and sheltered.

"There was this one guy who was a veteran of World War II," Steach said. "He was an amazing guy ... I talk to so many people and hear about so many lives. It's a wonderful chance to learn about people and their needs."

Many people volunteer at the shelter every year, Barroga said. Church groups, local companies and individuals all lend their time to the shelter. On Dec. 5, a group of executives from pharmaceutical company Ilypsa in Sunnyvale came to serve food at the shelter.

Gerrit Klaerner, the company's founder, was there along with several of his employees.

"I think the shelter provides a great opportunity to serve the community," Klaerner said.

Silvia Lee, an Ilypsa employee, helped organize the community service event for her company and said she had so many people sign up they are planning on coming back a few times.

Steach said he always makes sure to come to the shelter on Christmas because he finds it so uplifting.

"I love Christmas here [at the shelter]," Steach said. "We always have a couple church groups come in, and they serve food and sing a little. We love to see people come in on Christmas and we love even more to encourage them to come back. These people need help all year 'round, not just during the holidays."

Barroga said volunteers are always welcome, and anyone who is interested in helping EHC Lifebuilders can visit www.ehclifebuilders.org to fill out an enrollment form. Help can also be given in the form of a cash donation or donated item from a wish list posted on the website.