General Information

The men’s homeless shelter at Congregation Ansche Chesed (100th Street at West End Avenue) is open seven nights a week, 365 nights a year, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

The shelter serves 10 men every night. Five of the beds are reserved for clients of the Grand Central Partnership and the other five beds for people receiving services from Project Reachout. All shelter guests are screened by one of these two groups.

During the day, these organizations provide showers, food, and clothing. They also provide medical and psychiatric care, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, and help clients in collecting benefits or money management. After staying at the shelter for a while, a client may move to a subsidized SRO (single room occupancy) apartment.

The role of the shelter is to be a safe place for its guests to wash, eat, relax, and sleep. On any given night, most, if not all, of the guests have stayed at the shelter previously. Many stay for weeks or up to three months at a time. This continuity helps to foster an atmosphere of ease and familiarity, as well as a sense of responsibility toward the shelter and a feeling of community among the guests.

The first thing a new volunteer will notice is that the shelter practically runs itself. Or to be more accurate, the shelter is run by the people it serves. The guests get their own beds, their own food, and they clean up at night and before they leave. Often the volunteer feels like the guest, while the "guests" feel right at home. The role of the volunteer is close to that of a good manager: to stand back and let the men do what they are going to do, while intervening, instructing, guiding and troubleshooting only when it becomes necessary.

Volunteering is easy. No experience is necessary, and we need your help.

The opening shift volunteers (7:00 - 9:00 p.m.) unlock supplies and the overnight volunteers (9:00 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.) lock up. The volunteers stay undisturbed in a separate room where they can sleep, read, use the phone, or chat the night away.

We offer volunteer orientation anytime that is convenient for you. Please email us at ac_shelter@yahoo.com or call the shelter mailbox (212) 865-0600, ext. 403.