History

Harbor Interfaith traces its roots back to 1975, when local visionaries in the faith community organized FISH, a volunteer-operated food pantry. Its clients were mostly working poor families suffering from the closure of canneries, shipyards and the decline in the fishing industry - jobs that had once sustained this proud port town.

By the early 1980s, it became obvious that homelessness was a serious problem, especially among women and children. In 1983, Harbor Interfaith Shelter was formed and began providing emergency housing for homeless families in rental units around the community. In 1990, the agency purchased a World War I-era Army barracks that now serves as a 20-unit emergency shelter where homeless families can stay for up to 90 days.

In 1997, as a result of the closure of the Long Beach Naval Station and Shipyard, the agency received funding to purchase a 24-unit apartment building where we operate a transitional housing program. Families can stay there for up to 18 months while they further their education and prepare themselves for higher-paying jobs.

As a result of the agency's growth, Harbor Interfaith Shelter changed its name to Harbor Interfaith Services in 2002. The agency, which once operated from the basement of a local church, now owns its own administrative office, shelter, transitional housing complex, and childcare center.

The FISH food pantry remains an integral part of our operation, but now it acts as a portal to the wide array of services we offer. Families might come to us because they have an empty stomach, but we do more than hand out groceries. We help families figure out how they got into a desperate situation in the first place and then help them access the services they need to become productive, independent citizens and better parents. We help them with shelter, job location, benefits advocacy, childcare, medical and dental care, transportation, and tuition - anything it takes to get families on the road to self-sufficiency.