Emergency Shelter Partnership calls on local businesses to help it serve the homeless

A Northern Westchester organization is issuing a call to local professionals and businesses for support in sheltering and feeding the homeless this fall and winter.

The Emergency Shelter Partnership – a network of more than 20 houses of worship celebrating 20 years of serving the homeless in the cold seasons, including during the pandemic – is seeking not only donations of meals, gift cards and funds but of expertise. While its houses of worship have scores of volunteers who participate, the partnership is looking to broaden its base of those with experience in marketing, fundraising, grant writing, the law and website design and maintenance, said partnership President JoAnne Hochstein.

The need for such an organization became starkly apparent in 2004 when two homeless men died of exposure in Northern Westchester’s woods. Shocked – and perhaps more than a little ashamed – that this could happen in such an affluent community, a group of individuals – along with the Mount Kisco Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Council, the Northern Westchester Interfaith Clergy Association and the leadership of the village of Mount Kisco – founded the 501(c)3-registered nonprofit, which is based in Mount Kisco (its East location) and Ossining (the West location).

Beginning the last Monday in October – the 28^th this year – and running for 22 weeks until the spring, participating houses of worship in the East location – which includes Armonk, Bedford, Chappaqua, Katonah and Mount Kisco – host about 20 homeless individuals, primarily men, seven days a week on a rotating basis. The individuals gather at an appointed time each night behind the police station in Mount Kisco where they meet one of three paid, bilingual night supervisors and are transported by the partnership’s two vans to the hosting location.

The guests are given a hot meal, breakfast and a lunch to go, along with a place to sleep in a sleeping bag. A large percentage of the guests return night after night, Hochstein said, adding that the partnership’s West location – serving Briarcliff Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown – has a similar program with three paid, bilingual night supervisors that begins the first Monday in December (Dec. 2 this year) and runs for 16 weeks.

Besides providing the partnership with volunteers, the houses of worship also make a monetary contribution as the partnership must pay not only the supervisors’ salaries, but for transportation, insurance, sleeping bags, towels, toiletries and some clothing.

Hochstein is proud of its 20 years of seamless service. Even during the pandemic, “three churches took on the whole season,” she said, and not one person was lost. Now the partnership is poised to launch a more aggressive financial campaign, addressing corporations as well as small businesses to help those who represent a wide swath of society, she added. The organization has assisted everyone from a former police officer to a female attorney, along with recent immigrants.

Sometimes, Hochstein said, “we’re working with someone you would not have expected we needed to help. It’s our neighbors.”

Individuals and businesses that are looking to help can contact the Emergency Shelter Partnership, P.O. Box 427, Mount Kisco, New York, 10549, at 914-582-5020 or at info@esp-ny.org.