Category Archives: Monthly Updates

I am often asked to describe the work that is being done at the Jesus Center and there are lots of terms you’ve heard me use, evidence-based, person-centered, or best practices. But in a recent conversation about our staffs work, I was struck by the word nurture. As a verb, nurture means to care for…

Early on in my time as Executive Director, people routinely suggested that the best and only solution to homelessness was housing. Seems simple enough. And in fact, the federal government has invested a great deal of their funding into a method called Housing First. As a result, many exemplary programs nationwide are focused on getting…

At the Jesus Center, we serve a population whose rate of addiction—as high as 38% according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, a modest estimate in my opinion— is 25% higher than the estimated national average of 10%. Here, my staff and I hear stories from Jesus Center participants about how they first got…

How many times have we all heard the phrase, “April showers bring May flowers?” To be fair, the more accurate saying in Butte County this year would probably be “March showers bring April flowers.” Either chronology suggests a month of new life bursting forth, blooming in all directions; a month of fresh apricots, cherries, rhubarb,…

Last week, as I was walking to my car in the parking lot of the Jesus Center at the end of the day, Nancy,* one of our longtime participants who uses a wheelchair, was being rolled out of the dining room doors into the parking lot by Kelly.* They were furiously screaming at one another…

More good news from the Jesus Center! This month, I’d like to tell you the stories of two men, both named Frank.  The first Frank was learning how to smoke cigarettes around the time most children are learning their ABC’s. In fourth grade, he began using meth after a family member taught him how to…

Take a minute to read the note to the right if you haven’t already. A Jesus Center participant wrote it on a napkin at breakfast and handed it to one of our meal volunteers last week. When I first read it, I was touched—and at the same time, I was heartbroken. “The likes of us.”…

Sharing our Vision: Being deliberate in the ways that we are helping the impoverished in our community We see poverty every day at the Jesus Center through our guests.  We see both the short-term effects with those who are struggling with the absence of something, as well as the long-term effects.  Short-term struggles often present…

“State of the Jesus Center” A report on what we’re doing and where we’re going... Happy NewYear! OVERVIEW The Jesus Center has been a core social service provider for over 30 years focused on relieving the struggles of the poor, homeless, and mentally disabled population in Chico. Today’s priorities derive from the original vision, Jesus’…

Click here to view the .PDF Dear Friends of the Jesus Center, Putting Jumbled Lives Back Together . . . Some Assembly Required Do those magical words sound familiar? They probably do if you’re a parent and they might bring back memories of Christmas mornings when those wonderful toys your kids wanted so badly needed…

  Dear Friends of the Jesus Center, I want you to read the story of Shelly Watson so that you can understand the value of the financial support you make to the Jesus Center. Shelly moved through using drugs to homelessness to staying in our women’s shelter, Sabbath House, to being employed by the Jesus…

Dear Friends of the Jesus Center, I am pleased to tell you briefly about what you see in the two page newsletter - about Gordon, Hydee and Duane, because they are examples of what we want for all the people coming to us to eat. Mandy is seen receiving an award from Chico Soroptimists. I…

Dear Friend of the Jesus Center, On any given night 50,000 veterans are homeless on the streets according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Over 1.4 million other veterans are at risk of homelessness due to poverty, substance abuse and the lack of any support network. Born in Willows into a military…

Dear Friend of the Jesus Center, Winter is upon us and all that goes with it. As I write this letter, the Jesus Center has agreed to open its dining room during the cold spell in January so that those without shelter can sleep inside a warm place. Last night 45 people slept safely on…

Dear Friend of the Jesus Center, As we begin 2015 I want to give you an overview of how I understand homeless people are treated in our nation and local community. Just under two years ago, on January 30, 2013, along with service providers in Chico and other locations in Butte County, I helped conduct…

Dear Friends of the Jesus Center, In today's hustle and bustle world saying thank you for something you have received can easily be forgotten. Many of us do not stop long enough to ponder what we have; instead, we focus on what we do not have or take for granted what we do have or…

Dear Friends of the Jesus Center, I am excited to tell you about the growth of the Jesus Center Community Farm because it’s part of what the Center is doing to help unemployed people who eat at the Center become job ready. Started 18 months ago, the farm is on 2.2 acres of ground, 10…