Jubilee Center

The Jubilee Center at Shelter Care began as an outreach ministry of Emmanuel Episcopal Church and is one of only 600 centers throughout the world. The center is located on the grounds of the church and we provide and maintain the facilities alongside our partner SheltrerCare Ministries who provide the staffing and operate the program. Many parishioners volunteer to support the center. Our rector and a parishioner designated by the vestry serve on the ShelterCare Board of Directors.

Jubilee Centers are places of justice and promote peace and compassion for the marginalized people who are left out of the larger community conversation. The Jubilee Center is a day program for adults who live with chronic mental illness, who may be homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Each day, members find the doors open, the lights on, and coffee brewing at the Jubilee Center. Jubilee staff greet members at the door and throughout the day provide advocacy, case management, intervention and, more importantly, a caring, nurturing environment of hospitality and welcome. At Jubilee, members find an environment where they are not seen as their diagnosis, but as peers, friends, and even family.

Members enjoy activities, hot meals, and social events. Throughout the year, staff invite members to attend community functions, providing transportation and resources that enrich their lives and offer fullness that would otherwise be missing in their world.

The Jubilee staff view members as more than their mental illness. Perhaps the single most important gift Shelter Care gives to Jubilee Members is “being seen.” At Jubilee, they are seen and here they are a part of the world; they are not invisible.