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Going For The Gold-Building on Faith

Men in Suits
Grip signGrip buildingArt and Maria

September 28, 2006 at the Silver Dragon, Downtown Oakland.

Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP)

Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) is an interfaith, interracial coalition. For 40 years GRIP has been providing services and shelter to the Contra Costa homeless population, with a recent focus on three core programs:

The Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP) is an interfaith collaboration of, currently 39, congregations, founded in 1966, - Jews, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs - working together to address critical issues of human dignity and social justice in West Contra Costa County.  GRIP has two primary constituencies: 1) the individuals and families in crisis whom we serve through our three core direct service programs described below, and 2) members of our member and sister congregations that support our mission, including more than 1,250 volunteers that serve in our programs each year. 

GRIP Core Programs.

The “Souper Center” serves hot, nutritious noonday meals to over 1,000 homeless and hungry individuals and families 365 days per year with the assistance of 300 monthly congregational volunteers. The Souper Center has served meals to the poor for over twenty years.

The Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Program for Families provided winter shelter to homeless families from 1993-2005, with GRIP member congregations directly hosting 30-35 homeless adults and children each day during the winter months.  The new 75-bed facility has a capacity to serve 25-30 families.  It includes private rooms for families, full bathroom facilities, washers, dryers, children’s play area, and on-site training and conference rooms.  This not only creates a facility that helps alleviate homelessness all year round in West Contra Costa, but doubles the capacity of our former shelter in church facilities, and increases county-wide capacity to shelter families from 50 to 125 beds.  This increase will substantively reduce the crisis of homelessness in our county.  Based on current statistics, the new facility will meet most or all of the need of families in West County for emergency shelter.

The GRIP Resource Center provides case-management, support and referral services to over 2,000 individuals and families annually.  The Center has served as primary entry point for West County’s homeless in the Homeless Continuum of Care Plan for over ten years.
GRIP, a recognized community leader in assisting homeless families to become self-sufficient through housing and jobs, recognizes that shelter alone is only the first step.  The following constellation of key services has proven effective for the families the organization has worked with:

  • Shelter that keeps the family unit intact through its physical layout;
  • Nutritious, regular meals, with family involvement in preparation and housekeeping;
  • Primary health and mental health care;
  • Substance abuse prevention counseling;
  • Job training and placement;
  • Life skills training in areas such as literacy, household budget management, computer literacy, nutrition, parenting, basic health care;
  • Tutoring and after-school activities for school-age children;
  • Child care for younger children while parents are doing other crucial activities;
  • Ongoing and after-care case management and follow-up to coordinate the above services and monitor families’ progress.

The longstanding experience of service providers and evaluators is that while not every family may need all the above services, the overall constellation is most effective when offered in a coordinated manner at a “one-stop,” convenient location.  After 5 years of planning and fund development, GRIP now offers a coordinated, quality, full-service delivery system for homeless individuals and families in West Contra Costa County; a facility that operates 12 months each year, combining overnight accommodations and daytime services so that homeless individuals and families can get immediate, intensive help to re-establish stability and self-sufficiency.
Other GRIP Activities and Services.

The interfaith group started at a time of racial unrest and war protest in Richmond and many other US cities.  Clergy from multi-ethnic congregations in Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo and Kensington resolved to “unite our thoughts and actions, and to work together” to address issues of racial unrest, economic disparity and social justice.  GRIP maintains that commitment today. 

Historically, GRIP was not a direct service provider.  After becoming incorporated, GRIP grew, founding and then “spinning off” several programs which are still serving our community; these include:

1971 – The San Pablo and Richmond Food Pantries
1974 – West County Rape Crisis Center
1983 – Richmond Farmers’ Market
1990 – Community Housing and Development Corporation of North Richmond
1996 – Learn ASAP

GRIP continues to work with community groups and government agencies to promote vital services in West County.

Contra Costa County Health Services Department has contracted with GRIP since July 2001 to be the fiscal sponsor for the Brookside (Martinez) and Concord Emergency Shelter Programs.  The County currently contracts with GRIP to provide fiscal management for several other service programs. 

Leadership in FaithWorks and Richmond Vision 2000, a collaboration of faith and labor leaders, work with community partners to promote economic, social and environmental justice.  GRIP’s Executive Director, Art Hatchett, is an organizing member and serves on the Executive Committees of both.  Faith Works and Richmond Vision 2000 have experienced major victories during a brief history:

1999-2000:   We were instrumental in local organizing that caused the Governor and State legislators to forgive a portion of the debt through a reallocation plan for the West Contra Costa Unified School District.  This was a major undertaking dealing with a most vital element within our community, the delivery of quality education for our youth.
2001:  Richmond Vision 2000, after initiating a ballot initiative, won a major victory as the City of Richmond passed a living wage ordinance containing the highest amount and broadest coverage of any such ordinance in the nation.  We were also involved in a collaborative that succeeded in encouraging the City of Richmond to pass an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance. 

2002:  Affordable housing is primary on the agendas of Faith Works and Richmond Vision 2000 and GRIP’s Executive Director spearheads many housing initiatives and currently serves on Richmond’s “Just Cause, Fair Rent” Housing Task Force.
Increased interfaith interaction among our member congregations.  This takes place in the context of both the direct services provided by 1,250 volunteers from our 39 congregations, and in the collaborative, systemic social change efforts in which member congregations participate on behalf of GRIP.