Social Action – Safe Sleep, August, 2018

UUCV Safe Sleep Highlights
by Neal Ortenberg
For many years the UUCV has part­nered with the City of Ventura and the Salvation Army in offering 10 vehicle spaces as a safe place for people to park and sleep in their vehicles as they work toward moving into more permanent housing.
The first half of 2018 UUCV provided 20 people a safe place in our church park­ing lot from 7pm to 7am, giving them an opportunity to have an undisturbed night’s sleep. They are supported in reaching their goal of more permanent housing by UUCV vol­unteers who check in with them evenings and mornings, the Sal­vation Army Case Managers who guide them toward reaching their housing goals and the Securitas Security Service that inspects our property daily between midnight and 4am.
The UUCV Safe Sleep Team works to make our Safe Sleepers feel at home and welcome. As friendly neighbors we invite them to attend our Sunday services, and we host a once-a-month dinner and social hour in the garage at 5:30pm on the first Thursday of the month for Safe Sleepers and church members. This month it was a Pizza night during which we all deepened our connection with each other. Our Safe Sleepers have shown their gratitude to the church by weeding around the property and by sweeping around the back-parking lot.
I am pleased to report that two of our Safe Sleepers not only have become members of the church but moved out of their cars into rented housing.
If you have any questions about our Safe Sleep program, call or email either of our UUCV Safe Sleep Coor­dinators, Neal Ortenberg- 805/368-9835, nealstuart@gmail.com or Darryl Marquez-805/232-8834, darryl.mar­quez@gmail.com