Uptown Faith Community
The Uptown Faith Community Service Center - or UPTOWN - is the Cathedral's primary outreach to the homless in San Diego. In 1984, St. Paul's and a group of ther churches in the uptown neighborhood founded UPTOWN to provide direct, professional response to the problem of homelessness in the Balboa Park area. Two years later, Alpha Project, another homeless outreach agency, opened its office a few blocks north of UPTOWN, and in 2005, the two organizations merged, combining their resources and expanding their reach, to more effectively address the issues of homelessness and poverty in our area. Although UPTOWN is supported by people of faith, its services are offered to all, regardless of religious affiliation to help the homeless, poor, and needy, without discrimination, to become self-supporting members of our community.
UPTOWN’s office serves as a point of triage for hundreds of homeless and impoverished people who, for various reasons, are unable or unwilling to seek help from governmental agencies or other charitable organizations. Upon arrival, UPTOWN staff provide clients with a needs assessment and arrange for appropriate responses through Alpha Project's many programs.
Homeless Hospice
Through the Living with Dignity program, Uptown/Alpha Project operate one of the nations only outreach to homeless facing end of life on the streets. Each year, more than 100 homeless men and women will die on the streets of San Diego. UPTOWN and Alpha Project provide assistance to veterans, homeless, and indigent people facing end-of-life issues on a case-by-case basis.
Housing Opportunities
Special Needs Housing is provided through the Hotel Metro - a 193-unit single room occupancy (SRO) complex providing supportive housing to persons living with mental illness, physical disabilities, and HIV. In addition, Alpha Project operates low income housing throughout San Diego, offering approximately 500 units of low income housing low income seniors (90 units) and families (404 units).
Employment Assistance
"Take Back the Streets" is a program offering transitional employment to persons who are otherwise unemployable (e.g., due to gaps in employment history, recovery, imprisonment, etc.) and employs roughly 80 to 100 formerly homeless men and women at any given time. In addition, mail and message service, bus tokens, van transportation, and assistance with obtaining identification are provided to persons seeking to transition out of homelessness and into employment. Finally, employment placement and counseling, English as a Second Language, basic literacy instruction, computer access, and resume writing assistance are offered at various locations within the Alpha Project network, including UPTOWN.
Longterm Recovery Programs
Casa Base and Casa Rafael provide residential treatment for up to 120 homeless participants in their residential recovery programs. The rigorous programs include 40 hours per week of participation in on-site structured recovery programs, 30 hours per week of on-the-job training, health care assistance, transportation assistance, discharge planning, and housing placement assistance. The Alpha Project network also provides outpatient recovery counseling and space for substance abuse recovery meetings.
Homeless Youth
Each week, Alpha Project deploys intervention teams to local parks, canyons, and other areas with high concentrations of runaway and homeless youth with the goal of removing them from high risk environments, providing them with health care, and providing them with appropriate placement.
Location
UPTOWN is located at the corner of 30th Street and Polk Avenue in the North Park area of San Diego:
UPTOWN Faith Community Service Center
4101-B 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 281-8411
(619) 281-8466 (fax)
www.alphaproject.org
