PADS-Lake County

PADS – Providing Advocacy, Dignity & Shelter – has been combatting homelessness in Lake County since 1972.  PADS is the first point of contact and the ONLY emergency shelter for the homeless in Lake County.  While PADS focuses on immediate needs for the homeless, their vision is to provide a path to stable housing and self-sufficiency.  They do this through case management, life skills training and counseling services.

During the pandemic, as many families are struggling to determine how—or if—their children should be returning to school, PADS families are struggling with not having a choice. Their children rely on the resources that can only be found in their schools, and most of the parents we see in our programs are working during school hours and are unable to afford alternative childcare. They find themselves faced with the impossible choice of working to move their families out of homelessness and the health and safety of their children.  Before Covid, PADS typically served 160 people a night.  Now they are serving 220 people.

The staff at PADS are working hard to ensure that clients continue to receive the same level of services that were available before the pandemic. Now more than ever it is clear that housing is health care and healthcare is housing.  Covid kits that allow daily temperature checks and required PPE for all patients and employees have been donated.

At Grace, we are providing a hot meal to 35 clients the first Tuesday of each month.  Continued support of our program will keep these families whole.  In addition, on every Tuesday, the First Presbyterian Church is accepting non-perishable items between 3-5pm at their sanctuary doors on Douglas Ave.  First Presbyterian Church will have an outside drop off set up in front of their Narthex by the benches. Ideally, please email dgmarsden@gmail.com to let them know you are coming.

Examples of items that are needed include:

Peanut Butter

Easy Mac

Oatmeal Packets

Microwavable meals

Canned chicken/tuna

Chef Boyardee (pop top cans)

Soup (pop top cans)

Granola Bars

$5-$10 fast food gift