News

Americana Pizza brings good food and community to all Boise residents

Word on the Street Issue 14, September 2021 Americana Pizza owner Max Lillie is familiar with Boise’s unhoused community. His shop next to Rhodes Skate Park serves anyone who loves good pizza, and the business makes a point to welcome all community members as customers, housed or not. The building at the corner of 16th […]

Celebrating the life of Debi Davis

Guests, staff, and friends of Debi gathered behind the shelter on Thursday night for a service in honor of her life; all wearing shirts tie-dyed orange, Debi’s favorite color.

Interfaith supporters celebrate housewarming with a concert in Boise

Dr. Stephen and Michelle Mings have been supporters of Interfaith Sanctuary for many years. Last night, Curtis Stigers performed live with a few of his friends at the Mings’ housewarming party. The Mings won this house concert in a live auction at the 2019 Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza, but plans had to be put on hold due to the pandemic. Wednesday […]

Artists in residence selected by Valley Regional Transit to design vinyl wraps for buses, shelters

Last week, two of our artists in residence were selected to participate in the inaugural Valley Regional Transit Artist Roster.

Project Recovery helps raise awareness at #EndOverdose event in Cecil Andrus Park

On August 31, the Idaho Harm Reduction Project, alongside Central District Health (CDH) and the PEER Wellness Center, hosted the #EndOverdose event on the steps of the Capitol building in Boise to raise awareness about the prevalence of overdose deaths across the state. The event took place on International Overdose Awareness Day. Organizations from across […]

Word on the Street hits the streets

Interfaith Sanctuary’s Project Well-Being distributed Issue #13 of Word on the Street across Boise on Friday. The August edition is the first paper the shelter’s staff and guests have produced in three months. It’s filled with stories on experiences of homelessness in Boise, recovery, hope, and the importance of providing safe shelter. “It’s awesome to […]

A barn concert for Interfaith Sanctuary’s Xtreme Team

Last year, bluegrass band Lonesome Lonesome Jetboat Ramblers Ramblers and Dr. Steve Baker donated a barn concert to be auctioned online to raise funds for Interfaith Sanctuary. The auction was in place of Interfaith Sanctuary’s annual event, The Xtreme Holiday Xtravaganza, which the shelter was unable to host live due to the pandemic. Last week, […]

Hope from the Street: August Guest Writing

Word on the Street Issue 13, August 2021: Finding Shelter and Stability By Nathan I want to tell the world about the unfairness I had to endure my entire life. I grew up in foster homes when I was younger. I never stayed in one place longer than a year. I had to move around […]

Life, Loss, Healing and Hope

Life seemed to be where it needed to be. I had a dog, a boyfriend and loving parents, but underneath it all I was depressed and anxious all the time. I was longing to be happy and hold down a job, but I found myself lost and sad most of the time. Everyday was a constant struggle to keep my emotions from erupting and making everything worse.

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! […]