Why does shelter matter?

In an environment where the cost of living is skyrocketing and few affordable units are vacant, shelter remains a critical first step toward helping our fellow residents off the street as they become displaced.

Chris talks portraits, life, and tattoos

Chris has been drawing for as long as he can remember. He started in the 2nd grade in San Diego, where seeing graffiti sparked a lifelong impulse to create. 

Wendy Blickenstaff to lead Interfaith Sanctuary’s art collective

Local artist Wendy Blickenstaff will be joining the team at Interfaith Sanctuary this month to take on our shelter’s art collective. Blickenstaff will teach workshops and connect unhoused artists and makers with opportunities to showcase their work in the community, create with our guests, and help artists in residence develop their skills into professional practice. Blickenstaff grew up in […]

Interfaith Sanctuary’s resident artists to be featured at Artfort in Boise

Chris and Geoff are both known at Interfaith Sanctuary for their creative abilities. The two men have been hard at work painting, drawing, making music, and more since enrolling in programming at our shelter, and that hard work is paying off. In September, they’ll showcase their work as featured artists at the Treefort Music Festival in […]

Mason Creek Flower Farm collects donations for unhoused Treasure Valley residents

Jerilynn Mcrae of the Mason Creek Flower Farm, located in Nampa, has been hosting fundraisers for local nonprofits in the Treasure Valley each month as a way to give back to the community. Mcrae hosted an event at the farm in mid-July featuring several local vendors. She discounted flower picking containers for anyone who brought […]

We’re all in this together: Deviant Kin plays a show for our donors in Boise

Interfaith Sanctuary’s 15th annual Xtreme Holiday Extravaganza, the largest fundraiser we hold each year, was hosted virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Steve Baker, a partner at Habitat Veterinary Hospital, allowed Interfaith to auction off a barn concert featuring the band Deviant Kin at his North End home. This month, our donors finally got to enjoy the in-person […]

Anonymous donors bring sun hats and care packages to help our guests ride out the heatwave!

Our guests are prepared for the hot summer sun this week after a donor who wished to remain anonymous sent us 100 GearTOP fishing hats. Temperatures in the 100s are expected well into July, and these hats are exactly what we need to help our guests manage sun exposure while they’re out in the community! […]

THE PAUSE

On June 9, Interfaith Sanctuary met with Mayor Lauren McLean and agreed to pause our application for a conditional use permit for our new shelter on State Street. We made the decision after the mayor proposed that a task force meet for eight weeks to look closely at our chosen location and our plan to […]

Happy 4th of July!

Our community does it again! Interfaith Sanctuary celebrated the 4th of July with a BBQ at our shelter. This event was a special one! We weren’t able to celebrate last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we couldn’t have done it without a group of marvelous donors, community members, and staff who helped us […]

Friday Fit Club visits Lucky Peak

Interfaith Sanctuary guests on Fridays get together and go outside to enjoy the weather, stay healthy and share stories and ideas. Last Friday, the group handed out cold water bottles to unsheltered residents of the Cooper Court area as a heat wave set in across the Pacific Northwest. The week prior, the group completed a […]

It’s a wrap: Interfaith Sanctuary’s food trailer gets a post-pandemic makeover

On June 26, the trailer where Interfaith Sanctuary houses its food training program got a makeover courtesy of The Wrap Institute, an online learning community for vinyl wrap installation, production, and design. The COVID-19 pandemic postponed the project, which began over a year ago. Justin Pate, the founder of The Wrap Institute, partnered with The […]

Boiseans step in to help open emergency cooling shelters

As temperatures soar into the triple digits this week, two cooling shelters at the downtown branch of the Boise Public Library and Cathedral of the Rockies in northeast Boise are fully staffed and ready to go with water, snacks, sunscreen, and seating areas for anyone in need. Boiseans came together and offered the necessary support […]

A super COOL post! How Interfaith staff, neighbors, and hotel guests came together in a crisis

Just as a heatwave swept across the Pacific Northwest, the AC at the hotel where Interfaith Sanctuary houses our families, seniors, medically fragile and hospice guests broke down, creating stress and some genuine medical concerns for those living in the hotel rooms.  As the hotel installed the air conditioning system in the 1990s, the parts […]

Top ways homeless shelters help those in need…

Top Ways Homeless Shelters Help Those In Need Have you ever imagined what life would be like without a home? Hundreds of thousands of people who never imagined they’d be without a home are finding themselves unhoused these days. For those people and others who need help homeless shelters serve vital needs that provide a […]

Making the Shelter a Safer Place

Thanks to Todd Boothe + RC Willey