Help Put a Roof Over Their Heads: Serving Costa Rica’s Homeless and Refugees

***Dormitorio Solidario desparetly needs your donations to help protect people facing homelessness from Covid-19. Now more than ever, your donation will make a difference.***

With over 15 years of experience helping people in need, Randall, Marlyn and Floricelle founded a shelter for people facing homelessness on the streets of San José, Costa Rica. They were able to find a vacant hotel for rent and have equipped it with bunk beds, lockers, linens, etc.

Who will your donation help? The shelter serves a wide range of people from immigrant and refugee children and families seeking asylum in Costa Rica, to local senior citizens who are homeless, to LGBTQ+ individuals.

Guests are asked to contribute a small fee (ranging from $4.00 - $7.00) to spend the night in the dormitory, take a shower and have dinner, however if they are unable to pay, they are still welcome. No one is turned away. After dinner, there is often a short motivational talk or recreational activity. In the morning, quests are given breakfast and are on their way.

Their approach to helping the guests who struggle with substance abuse is through a strategy called "harm reduction" which aims to be a realistic, pragmatic, humane and successful approach to addressing issues of substance abuse, while at the same time respecting them as human beings who, regardless of their situations, need a safe place to sleep.

Guests are also given support to help them take better care of themselves and are often referred to social service professionals who can help them take control of their issues with substance abuse, immigration status, health problems or unemployment.

In the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, Costa Rica, the number of people living on the streets has gone from 2,000 to 4,000 in the last 10 years and the number of political and economic refugees seeking safety and security in Costa Rica has increased nearly tenfold. According to the UN Refugee Agency, the number of refugees in Costa Rica has increased from 12,000 to 90,000 people since April of 2018. Most refugees to Costa Rica face conditions of extreme poverty which creates an urgent call for help.

As of February 2020, Dormitorio Solidario, through the help of donations, has been able to serve around 65 people. They have recently been able to equip two new spaces so that they are can serve up to 80 people, but they still need to add bathroom facilities to serve everyone. Dormitorio Solidario’s approach to support those in need is to provide a quality program that promotes self-help. And with your donations, we get closer every day. We truly appreciate your contributions and they do make a difference!

Your donation will help "Dormitorio Solidario" pay the monthly rent of the hotel and their utility bills, as well as provide guests with clean pajamas, sheets, pillows, towels, beds, lockers and to maintain the washer and dryer.

Your donation will help people get back on their feet and save lives.