Samaritan Shelters

A Proactive Approach to Reducing Street Homelessness

Samaritan Shelters is a proactive outreach and shelter concept designed to reduce visible street homelessness by offering immediate, dignified alternatives to living in tents, sidewalks, parking lots, and other public spaces. The goal is simple: help people move from the streets into safe indoor shelter first, while connecting them with the resources needed for longer-term stability.

The Concept

Samaritan Shelters combines mobile outreach teams with centralized shelter locations positioned near high-density homeless areas. Samaritan vans actively travel through known encampments and public areas, offering individuals a safe place to stay, access to basic necessities, and personal support through trained advisors. Instead of relying primarily on police interaction, Samaritan teams approach individuals with the purpose of offering help, dignity, and immediate shelter options.

Shelter Facilities

Each Samaritan Shelter location operates from a leased warehouse-style facility or similar building capable of housing multiple guests in a clean, organized environment.

Facilities may include:

• Sleeping areas with cots or twin beds
• Optional privacy tents over sleeping spaces
• Restrooms, sinks, and showers
• Dining areas with pre-prepared meals
• Computer stations for communication and job searches
• Parking spaces for guests living in vehicles

Every individual staying at a facility is referred to as a Guest, reinforcing dignity and respect.

Personal Support

Each guest is assigned a Samaritan Advisor, who serves as a guide during their stay. Advisors help guests identify next steps and connect with appropriate services through existing community programs.

Rather than attempting to replace existing systems, Samaritan Shelters works as a gateway to resources, referring guests to:

• housing assistance programs
• employment resources
• mental health services
• addiction recovery programs
• healthcare and social services

Mobile Outreach

Samaritan vans proactively travel through areas with high concentrations of homelessness. Their purpose is simple:

• engage with individuals living outdoors
• offer transportation to shelter facilities
• provide information and assistance
• reduce tent encampments and unsafe street living

This approach allows the program to meet people where they are, rather than waiting for them to seek help.

Organizational Model

Samaritan Shelters is designed as a hybrid nonprofit and operational organization supported through:

• government programs
• private donations
• philanthropic funding
• operational partnerships

The Primary Mission

The first and most urgent goal is straightforward:

Move people off the streets and into safe indoor shelter.

Once individuals are in a stable and secure environment, they can more easily access the services and opportunities that help them rebuild their lives.

Samaritan Shelters aims to create a practical, scalable system that cities across the United States can adopt to significantly reduce visible street homelessness while restoring dignity to those in need.

Samaritan Outreach Vans

Samaritan vans proactively travel through areas with high concentrations of street homelessness. Outreach teams engage individuals living outdoors and offer immediate transportation to nearby Samaritan Shelter facilities.

Their purpose is simple:

• connect with people living outdoors
• offer immediate safe shelter
• reduce tent encampments
• restore dignity and safety in public spaces

Samaritan Shelter Facilities

Each Samaritan Shelter operates from a clean, organized facility located near high-density homeless areas. These locations provide immediate shelter and basic services in a respectful and structured environment.

Facilities may include:

• sleeping areas with cots or twin beds
• privacy tents for personal space
• restrooms and showers
• dining areas with prepared meals
• computer stations
• parking areas for guests living in vehicles

All individuals staying in the facility are referred to as Guests, reinforcing dignity and respect.

Samaritan Shelters

Pilot Program Cost Model (1 Location)

Capacity

• 50 Guests
• 2 Outreach Vans
• 24-hour operation

1️⃣ Facility (Warehouse Lease)

Typical LA light-industrial warehouse

10,000 – 15,000 sq ft

Estimated lease:

$18,000 – $25,000 / month

Pilot estimate:

$20,000 / month

Annual

$240,000

2️⃣ Facility Setup (One-Time)

Beds, showers, dining, offices, etc.

Item

Estimated Cost

Cots / twin beds (50)

$10,000

Privacy tents

$6,000

Bathrooms & showers

$25,000

Dining tables & chairs

$5,000

Kitchen appliances

$8,000

Computers & desks

$7,000

Security cameras

$4,000

Linens / bedding

$5,000

Setup Total

≈ $70,000

3️⃣ Outreach Vans

Mercedes Sprinter type vehicles

2 Vans

Item

Cost

Sprinter Van

$55,000 each

Wrap + branding

$4,000

Equipment

$3,000

Per van

≈ $62,000

2 Vans

$124,000

3️⃣ Outreach Vans

Mercedes Sprinter type vehicles

2 Vans

Item

Cost

Sprinter Van

$55,000 each

Wrap + branding

$4,000

Equipment

$3,000

Per van

≈ $62,000

2 Vans

$124,000

5️⃣ Daily Operating Costs

Food, supplies, fuel, etc.

Expense

Annual

Meals

$120,000

Utilities

$45,000

Insurance

$30,000

Fuel & van maintenance

$40,000

Supplies & hygiene

$50,000

Operating Total

≈ $285,000

6️⃣ Total Pilot Budget

First Year (includes setup)

Facility Lease
$240,000

Facility Setup
$70,000

Vans
$124,000

Staff
$725,000

Operations
$285,000

Total Year 1

≈ $1.44 Million

Year 2 and Beyond

No setup costs.

≈ $1.25M per year

Cost Per Guest

50 Guests

Annual budget
$1.25M

Cost per guest

≈ $25,000 per year

Pilot Program Vision

"One Samaritan Shelter pilot location serving 50 guests with mobile outreach vans operating daily across Los Angeles."

Samaritan Shelters

Los Angeles Expansion Model

Goal

Create a network of Samaritan Shelters across Los Angeles that proactively remove people 

from sidewalks, encampments, and parking lots and connect them to services.

Phase 1 — Pilot Program

1 Location

• 50 Guests
• 2 Outreach Vans
• 10–12 Staff

Annual Budget

≈ $1.4M (Year 1)
≈ $1.25M ongoing

Purpose:

• prove the model
• gather real data
• refine operations

Phase 2 — LA Network

10 Locations

Each location:

• 50 Guests
• 2 Outreach Vans

Total system:

• 500 Guests sheltered nightly
• 20 outreach vans
• coverage across major LA districts

Annual Budget (10 Locations)

Per shelter:

≈ $1.25M

Total network:

≈ $12.5M annually

What That Achieves

A 10-shelter network could:

• move 500 people per night off the streets
• respond quickly to encampments
• reduce visible tent communities
• coordinate with city programs

That’s 182,500 shelter nights per year.

Outreach Coverage

20 Samaritan vans operating daily.

Each van could contact:

10–15 individuals per day

Network reach:

200–300 outreach contacts daily

That is how you begin to proactively reduce street encampments.

What Makes This Different

Most current systems are passive.

People must:

• find shelters
• apply for programs
• navigate agencies

Samaritan Shelters would be proactive.

The system goes to them.

The Core System

Street Encampments
↓
Samaritan Vans
↓
Shelter Facility
↓
Samaritan Advisors
↓
Referral Programs

Housing
Employment
Healthcare
Recovery
Veterans Services

Why Donors Might Like This

It’s clear and scalable.

Instead of vague programs:

1 Shelter = 50 people helped

10 Shelters = 500 people helped

20 Shelters = 1,000 people helped

Simple math.

Long-Term Vision

If the system expanded to 20 shelters in LA:

• 1,000 guests nightly
• 40 outreach vans

Annual cost:

≈ $25M

For a city that spends billions on homelessness.

Why This Idea Has Potential

The concept focuses on one critical first step:

Get people off the streets immediately.

Not solving everything at once.

Just solving the visible crisis first.

Why this system works

The reason this concept works is because it’s simple.

Many homelessness plans fail because they are:

• bureaucratic
• slow
• complicated

The model is:

Find → Transport → Shelter → Refer

That simplicity is powerful.