Trinity Day Center

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The Trinity Day Center

Trinity United Church of Christ

32 West Market Street

York, Pennsylvania 17401

Capital Campaign

Goal $200,000.00

The homeless crisis in the city of York has reached epidemic proportions. Informed by the opioid addiction emergency, dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder of mental illness and substance abuse, intractable poverty, and an array of latent social problems emerging as the face of homelessness; the homeless crisis in York is surmountable but only with a Herculean effort.

Trinity UCC Church thus has created the Trinity Day Center in response to the York homeless crisis. Due to our location the reality of homelessness is an ever present confrontation to our ethical and moral consciousness. As a church congregation we have been in the community since 1742, preceding the founding date of the United States of America by thirty four years. As such, there have been many iterations of ministry, all contextual to the times in which Trinity Church has existed. The context of our times calls us to answer the moral imperative of the homeless crisis.

Businesses in downtown York are adversely affected by the homeless crisis in many ways. Tourists and visitors to our city often see firsthand the blight of homelessness in our city, as well as smell the residual aftermath of human defecation and urination in the air. Thus, homelessness negatively impacts the city of York economically.

Vagrancy contributes to the optics and perception of a less safe city. Hence, homelessness is a public safety concern as well.

Trinity UCC Church will respond to our present crisis by opening the Trinity Day Center on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The Trinity Day Center will be a venue to direct the homeless population during the day, provide Case Management, provide cover from the elements, provide showers and laundry services, as well as other services to the homeless population.

Please demonstrate your support for a better York by supporting the Trinity Day Center! The Trinity Day Center is an initiative for a better city of York. We are all responsible.

Trinity UCC Church Day Center:

The Trinity Day Center (TDC), is a ministry/program which provides Case Management for indigent and homeless persons, in the city of York, Pennsylvania. The operating hours of Trinity Day Center are 8:30 am thru 4:30 pm, Monday thru Friday. The TDC does not operate on Saturday or Sunday, except under special circumstances such as severe inclement weather, and must be approved by no less than ninety percent (90%) of the advisory board, at least twenty four (24) hours in advance. The Director of Daily Operations/Manager of TDC must initiate the special request for weekend operation hours.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Trinity Day Center is to provide Case Management. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; other wise known as SAMHSA, defines Case Management as follows. “Case Management is one of the primary services offered to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors defines case management as a range of services provided to assist and support individuals in developing their skills to gain access to needed medical, behavioral health, housing, employment, social, education, and other services essential to meeting basic human services. This also includes providing linkages and training for the patient served in the use of basic community resources, and monitoring of overall service delivery.” -SAMHSA Homelessness Programs Resources

The mandate and authority for the existence of the Trinity Day Center is established here:

Matthew 25: 31-40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

RLUIPA, 42 U.S.C. §§2000cc:

In 2000, a federal law was passed known as RLUIPA , Religion Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which profoundly expanded the rights of churches and religious institutions to determine their programs within their churches, without the undue interference of local, city, state, or federal government.

Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act otherwise known as RLUIPA: “The land use provisions of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. §§2000cc, et seq., protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination IN ZONING and landmarking laws.”

United States Department of Justice – Civil Rights Division – Office of the Assistant Attorney General, December 15, 2016:

“Thus, RLUIPA applies widely not only to diverse places of worship, but also to religious schools, religious camps, religious retreat centers, and religious social service facilities such as group homes, HOMELESS SHELTERS, and soup kitchens, as well as to individuals exercising their religion through use of property, such as home prayer gatherings or Bible studies.”

Trinity Day Center Organizational Structure:

Director of Daily Operations / Manager at TDC may either be appointed by the Executive Oversight Administrator, or hired by the Advisory Board which also functions as a Governing Board.

The Executive Oversight Administrator, in collaboration with the Advisory Board, will determine the required credentials of the Director of Daily Operations Manager, as well as set the annual salary, schedule, and job description. The Executive Oversight Administrator and the Advisory Board are charged with the responsibility of drafting and approving the employment contract for the Director of Daily Operations / Manager.

Founding Director of Daily Operations / Manager:

Dominic Smith

Founding Advisory Board:

Lois Miller

Sue Houck

Mary Kay Alpaugh

Beth Rohrbaugh-Mitts

Margaret Scott

Joan Boyce

Kay Kraft

Stephanie Piper

Justine Warfield

David Stauffer

Kellie Turner

Dominique Denman

Brian Alpaugh

Founding Executive Oversight Administrator:

Larry Covin

Auspices:

Trinity Day Center exists and operates under the auspices of the Trinity UCC Church, 32 West Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. The Trinity Day Center will function under the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization status.

The Trinity Day Center will establish its banking account(s) under the guidelines, rules of the Trinity UCC Church Bookkeeper, and will be subject to the financial best practices of the Trinity UCC Church and the auxiliary of the Finance and Personnel Committee.

Funding:

Capital Campaign
Grants
Special Offerings
Donations
Bequeathments
Matching Funds
In-Kind Donations
Foundation Gifts
Seed Money request to the Consistory of Trinity UCC Church
Tithes made to Trinity Day Center

Collaborations:

The Trinity Day Center may enter into arrangements with other nonprofits concerned with the plight of the homeless, to the extent that organizations share the ethical and moral principles of both Trinity Day Center and Trinity UCC Church.

Guidelines for Daily Operations:

The Trinity Day Center may not exceed the number of persons within compliance to local fire codes.
Once clients enter the facility they are not authorized to leave and reenter the building, except at the discretion of the Director of Daily Operation / Manager.
Under no circumstances will loitering or vagrancy be allowed on the property immediately outside of the church building before, during, or after programming. This is to be strictly enforced. Repeat offenders will be barred from participating in the Day Center.
Clients will not be allowed to be in the possession of alcohol, drugs, or drug paraphernalia.
There is no smoking allowed on the premises. A smoking policy will be determined by the Director of Daily Operations / Manager.
Clients are not, under any circumstance, to leave the area of operations located at the lower level of the church unsupervised. The Director of Daily Operations / Manager will devise a method for use of the bathroom facilities.

Immediate Requests:

Financial commitments and pledges can be made to:

Trinity Day Center@Trinity United Church of Christ

32 West Market Street

York, PA 17401-1228

Office@trinityucc-york.org or bookkeeper@trinityucc-York.org