“If you’re experiencing homelessness in Boise and you go hungry, you’re doing something wrong,” one man said at the Cathedral of the Rockies Sunday Friendship Feast.
This weekly event provides free meals to Boise citizens experiencing food insecurity. Cathedral of the Rockies typically sees up to 50 guests, some of whom have come for years.
As guests prepared to leave, many took packed-up leftovers with them, some took enough to feed their families. The Friendship Feast is just one example of how communities and organizations in Boise, Idaho provide support for the unhoused and those experiencing food insecurity.
Earlier this year, The Arbiter wrote about how high eviction rates, record heat, poor air quality and a Supreme Court ruling affected Boise’s unhoused population.
With winter on the horizon, The Arbiter found out what people and organizations dedicated to supporting people without homes are anticipating.
Meeting the need
Cathedral of the Rockies relies on volunteers to put on the Sunday Friendship Feast. Pete Schroeder, local mission and outreach coordinator, said they never have a problem getting volunteers.
“[Our] biggest need for volunteers is the Friendship Feast, it takes about eight people to cook it and serve it and do the dishes,” Schroeter said. “Most people think they’re fun and enjoyable and meaningful, so it’s pretty easy to get volunteers. Friends of anybody, neighbors, are all welcome to come.”
Shelter is necessary for survival, but especially so in the winter. Interfaith Sanctuary is a low-barrier shelter, meaning it does not turn people away if they need overnight accommodations. Working in symbiosis with daytime shelter Corpus Christi House (soon to be Corpus Commons), they serve many of the people in Boise who lack anywhere else to stay.
Jodi Peterson, executive director for the Interfaith Sanctuary, said one of their major needs during the winter months is propane donations.
“We have a military tent that we put up in the winter,” said Peterson. “We add propane tank heaters so we can get people out of the cold and into that tent.”
Most shelters in Boise accept cold-weather clothing like gloves, socks, beanies and coats. Clothing donations are vital as many unhoused individuals go through clothing rapidly. Often dirty clothes are thrown away due to a lack of access to washing machines.
As temperatures drop, shelters like Interfaith Sanctuary and Corpus Christi House have people inside for longer. With such a hot and smoky summer, Interfaith faced a similar problem earlier in the year.
“It was such a tough summer … It was [so tough] because it was relentlessly hot and the air quality was so bad that any of our medically fragile — they were really struggling, anyone who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, any kind of respiratory issues were getting really sick. We had to find a way to keep people inside throughout the summer,” Peterson said.
Weather isn’t the only thing affecting life on the street in Boise. Gang-trafficked drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine are getting more people addicted. The population of people without homes is increasing, according to Peterson.
Don Ruffing works with Corpus Christi House and is President of his own nonprofit, Boise Low Income Support Inc. Having supported Boise’s unhoused population for years, Ruffing strives to get to know everyone he works with on a first-name basis.
Don Ruffing said the unhoused population has grown to an extent that he no longer recognizes some of the people he interacted with previously.
“Usually I would know 80% of the people. I’ve seen them around, most of them are on the housing list but don’t have housing.”
“I’ve seen a lot of people get housing, but there are just more people now in the last couple of years. I’m probably down to [recognizing] 40% to 50% of people,” said Ruffing.
The increased population calls for more people to help.
Volunteer opportunities in Boise shelters
Every shelter in Boise accepts volunteers. At Interfaith, prospective volunteers apply on their website. Ruffing also mentioned a mission of his own and extended an invitation to anyone interested.
“This [work] is tough, and there’s only a few people that are wired for it. I do this when it drops below 20 degrees: I have a group of us that will walk — it just takes about half an hour — to walk around the alleys and the places around here where I know people stay.”
Ruffing said his group hands out hand warmers, warm clothes and emergency hotel vouchers for those who urgently need out of the cold.
The Cathedral of the Rockies, Corpus Christi House and Interfaith Sanctuary are just three organizations out of many that allow people to volunteer their time to serve those in need. Schroeder offered a sentiment for anyone volunteering, donating or otherwise helping those in need.
“It’s just one of those things, you know you’re doing good stuff, you’re helping people and it usually brings you some sense of satisfaction,” Schroeder said.
As the cost of living increases and the housing market creates more barriers, homelessness is becoming a reality for more and more people in Boise. But there is also no shortage of people willing to help, and they can always use a hand.
