BOISE, Idaho — Boise's only year-round day shelter, Corpus Christi House, will soon become Corpus Commons — a rebrand part of the shelter's effort to better meet the growing demand for services.
The nonprofit's board decided to rework how the shelter for people experiencing homelessness operates in Fall 2023, Executive Director Jessica Abbott said.
"Recognizing how large this community is growing, and that it was getting pretty big, and they needed more than to be just very basic staff or volunteer ran," she said.
Abbott was hired last December as part of the board's desire for a governing board. She said they have spent the last year building the new structure for Corpus Commons in hopes of bringing the shelter's programs out of the shadows.
The nonprofit officially becomes Corpus Commons this month. Abbott said they are hosting a Coca at Corpus event from 5:30-8 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the shelter on Americana Boulevard.
Everyone is welcome, including volunteers, donors and other community members. She said it is a great time for people to stop by and learn more about the changes.
"What we're trying to capture in that rebrand was not saying it's only one specific faith that is allowed here or is involved here," she said. "It's actually a lot of different faiths and beliefs."
Steve Burk agrees the change illustrates the shelter's inclusivity. For more than a year, he has spent his days at the shelter as a guest before heading to overnight shelters for the night.
He also volunteers at Corpus Commons.
"Calling this Corpus Commons, as opposed to just the Corpus Christi House," he said. "They accept everybody. It doesn't matter what your religion is, how you feel about anything. There's some people out here that are in dire need of help, and that's what we're here for."
Because Abbott said more people from all walks of life need help each day — especially young adults.
"Christie House has been here for 20 years, and in that time, the landscape has dramatically changed, from five to 10 people having coffee, to now we see 150/200 people a day, easily," she said. "Statistically, people live paycheck to paycheck, and for Boise specifically, there's just not enough [affordable] housing."
She said nobody is immune to hard times.
"If you're living paycheck to paycheck and you don't have a good friend base or community support or family base, you could be my next person that walks in tomorrow," she said, "and that does happen here weekly for us, we have young families walk in, we have people they just lost everything that night or that day, and they have jobs, and they're just struggling."
She said more structure enabled them improve partnerships with other homeless shelters and with the City of Boise. In addition, the changes have helped them better manage finances, increase safety measures and create more opportunities for Idahoans in need.
That includes expanding certain programs, like the clothing room and computer lab.
"It's really just educating the community that, hey, there's a lot going on here in this population, from sheltered to unhoused to just struggling, and we want them to be aware that we're here," Abbott said. "We're always ready for some help. We're ready for people to ask the questions, get involved, and hopefully, just as a community that we're all taking care of our citizens together."