Weeks after Winter Nights Family Shelter Inc. announced the abrupt closure of its homeless sheltering program in early September, bringing with it a harsh rebuke by the local faith community who felt blindsided, its board may have a willing suitor to carry on the nonprofit’s mission.

    Winter Nights, as it’s now known, initially started in 2004 by the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa as a grassroots effort and was spearheaded by Gwen Watson, a JustFaith Ministries graduate at Christ the King Parish in Pleasant Hill, in partnership with other faith community members. It subsequently evolved into Winter Nights Family Shelter, Inc., a public benefit 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to better take on the homeless challenge.

    A staple for serving homeless families and individuals from late summer through spring when the coldest and wettest periods normally descend on the area, the joint effort of congregations, volunteers, donors and Winter Nights staff has provided shelter, meals, safe parking, case management and housing support and sheltered more than 1,263 people, including more than 758 children in parish halls and church community centers and rooms throughout central Contra Costa County.

    As Winter Nights programs expanded, however, the financial, administrative, operational and staffing resources required to sustain them also grew. And eventually rubber hit the road and the group’s leadership were faced with the hard and difficult decision. 

    “After a careful review, the board concluded that Winter Nights no longer has the combination of reliable revenue, organizational infrastructure, governance capacity, staffing capacity and administrative support necessary to operate independently in a responsible and sustainable manner,” the board wrote in an early September statement announcing the sad and difficult decision.

    The board emphasized that long-term, interconnected challenges developed over time and they could not be resolved through an emergency fundraising campaign or a single infusion of funds. 

    Identification of a “mission aligned” entity will be essential when Winter Nights is ready to submit its filing with the California Attorney General’s office to begin dissolving it as a nonprofit.

    Board member Emily Hanson noted the filing must state what group is willing to be the recipients for any remaining assets and agree to restrict them for a sheltering program.

    The Winter Nights board has passed along its recommendation to the Winter Nights Summit, which represents churches and congregations who through the years have supported the traveling sheltering caravan as it moved from one central Contra Costa County site to another, and has invited it to provide non-binding feedback. A deadline of Oct. 26 has been set for the Summit to offer its thoughts to the board.

    After that, the board will formally act to select the suitor. By early to mid-November, Hanson anticipated Winter Nights would submit its filing with the state Attorney General’s office. A three- to six-month unwinding process will take place, just like the extensive vetting an organization undergoes when it seeks a 501(c)(3) designation.

    “It is the Attorney General that is the big boss – they ultimately approve or disapprove of the recommended recipient,” she said.

    If it gives a thumbs up, the matter eventually will go to the California Secretary of State’s office to formally dissolve Winter Nights as a nonprofit.

    So, for the moment, it is all about timing.

    The abrupt closure of Winter Nights a month ago came just days before the start of its 22nd season. A Zoom meeting held Sept. 11, dubbed a listening session for the Winter Nights board, followed, during which time information about the fate of the organization and its way forward was spelled out to attendees.

    Area faith community representatives lambasted the Pleasant Hill-based nonprofit for its failing to offer any warnings of the impending action to its stakeholders and not communicating about the financial dire straits of the organization.

    “This is where our heart is and we can’t see it slip through our fingers,” said Ann Lawrence, a longtime supporter of Winter Nights who was there in its infancy.

    What emerged from that heated meeting was a core group of 13 representing the faith community who have been actively meeting to devise a way forward to resurrect the sheltering service. This included deciding in early October to pursue formation of its own 501(c)(3), according to Judy Stillman, who has been active with Winter Nights for 21 years and part of Lafayette United Methodist Church’s involvement for more than a decade.

    As the core group’s efforts move forward, it is believed the best program to launch first is a Safe Parking Program, similar to what Winter Nights had provided to its clients.

    Stillman noted her group has since heard from the Winter Nights board of directors who expressed that they may be able to find mutual solutions that serve each of their interests.

    St. Anselm’s Rev. Will Scott, who voiced the disappointment of many of his peers and volunteers who have long and tirelessly supported the Winter Nights mission, was among those advocating for a new way forward. 

    “Although the umbrella organization may cease to exist, the commitment, compassion, and desire to serve among our faith communities remain strong,” said Father Paulson Mundanmani, of Christ the King. “Together, we hope to identify a responsible and sustainable path forward that preserves the heart and mission of Winter Nights.”