rain or shine, we give people shelter as we help them navigate their way home.
our traditional shared shelters
main shelter on center street
Our main shelter is located in the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Berkeley. Here, we regularly shelter 50+ full time residents year round.
Each resident is assigned a housing plan and meets regularly with our staff to prepare the documentation required to enter permanent housing. Residents receive assistance with medical, mental health and addiction care along with daily access to our drop-in center. We also offer an in-depth workforce development training program in the food, social services and retail industries so residents can secure employment.
Our goal is to help residents transition to their own home by promoting increased self-sufficiency and community involvement. Instead of policing our shelter residents, we restore their sense of self by recognizing them as individuals with needs, wants and goals. We ensure residents are physically, emotionally and economically ready to accept the responsibilities of independent living.
Our entire approach is to make sure shelter residents don’t return to the streets - something to celebrate!
our hotel shelters
beyond the horizon on san pablo avenue
This transitional hotel-style housing is located in Northwest Berkeley. Here we shelter more than 25+ residents, most who have come from Berkeley encampments. At Beyond the Horizon residents use their own hotel rooms as “mock apartments” while building skills to regain and sustain their independence.
Our focus at Beyond the Horizon is to support residents in becoming caring, involved members of our shelter and the neighborhood community. We facilitate peer support groups, conduct workshops on self reliance and financial independence, offer job training and links to employment opportunities, and assist residents with documentation to secure permanent housing. We also provide mental health, harm reduction and addiction support through regular evaluations and partner agency visits.
We take joy in watching our residents as they get the keys to their own home. It’s the happiest day!
horizon community village on university avenue
Horizon Community Village is our newest transitional hotel-style housing program in Berkeley. Like our Beyond the Horizon shelter on San Pablo Avenue, this location also provides hotel rooms that serve as “mock apartments,” allowing residents to build the skills necessary to regain and sustain independent living.
At Horizon Community Village, we house individuals and couples, along with their pets, primarily from West Berkeley encampments. We provide them a housing plan and a safe and stable environment to transition out of homelessness. We facilitate peer support groups, workshops on self-reliance and financial independence, job training opportunities, and assistance with securing vital documentation to transition into permanent housing. Additionally, we offer mental health support, harm reduction services, and addiction counseling through regular assessments and partner agency visits.
We can’t wait to support people on their path back home!
our seasonal shelters
winter shelter at old city hall
This winter shelter is set up to support 25 unhoused community members for the entire winter season. The shelter is located in old Berkeley City Hall — right off Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley.
This shelter provides an escape from the unpredictability of living in encampments or alone on the streets during the toughest weather months of our year. We offer a stable place to call home for people who are often uncomfortable staying in traditional shelter environments.
Our winter shelter residents receive meals, medical, mental health and addiction care, full access to our drop-in center, and housing support from our staff. We promote and facilitate reunification with family as well as giving residents the option of continuing year-round shelter with Dorothy Day House or neighboring facilities, which many chose to do instead of returning to homelessness. And we love that!
2134 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
November - April
daytime
(510) 705-1325
after hours
(510) 705-1516
inclement weather shelter on center street
This walk-up shelter has the capacity to offer 40 people a place to stay during adverse weather conditions. The shelter is open on nights where there is 50% chance of rain or when the temperature drops below 45°F or exceeds 91°F.
This shelter gives us the chance to build relationships with our unhoused neighbors and share information about the additional services that are available through Dorothy Day House and our partner agencies. We take the time to show people the possibilities beyond life on the street; and often they transition to year-round shelter or are reunified with their families. Now that’s a fresh start!
1931 Center Street (Auditorium)
Berkeley, CA 94704
November - April
6 pm - 8 am*
daytime
(510) 705-1325
after hours
(510) 705-1516
*open when 50% chance of rain, below 45°F and/or above 91°F
more ways we serve.
We continuously respond to the needs of our homeless community.
Homelessness is a complex issue. We adapt what we offer in response to new insights we gain from working with our unhoused neighbors.
We created Horizon Transitional Village, a tent community in converted warehouse, to help people transition from outdoor encampment living. This unconventional approach allowed us to reach people who were resistant to traditional shelters by providing an alternative environment were they felt safe and comfortable. In this non-traditional setting we were able to build relationships, provide medical, mental health, addiction and legal referrals, and housing support. The result? Many people were able to return to indoor life. See it here.
We continue to rethink what shelter looks like and hope to have our tent warehouse model alive again soon.
