Keeping the Lights On – 'After Hours' in the Ellis Room

When it rains in the Tenderloin, the Ellis Room barely closes.

The lights stay on and the mission carries late into the night. People with nowhere else to go come in from the cold, shaking off the rain and warming their hands around steaming paper cups.

For years YWAM San Francisco has opened its doors to neighbors shut out in the storm. Drizzly nights are especially hard for our neighbors. The streets are quiet as people do their best to wait out the rain under torn tarps or thin plastic ponchos, listening to the roll of the traffic and the gurgling rain in the gutters.

But those who know make their way through the wet streets to the Ellis Room.

From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., staff wait up -- keeping the lights on and the coffee hot. Long games of pool and dominoes stretch into the early morning hours, gradually quitting as people drift off for a few hours of rest. Some nights are lively, filled with the laughter of friends excited to gather after hours. Other nights are hushed -- bodies tired, spirits worn, simply waiting for morning.

But every night it rains, we’ll be here.

The lights will be on.

The coffee will be warm.

The door will be open.

All are welcome to step out of the rain and join us — even if it’s just for a donut at 2 a.m.

Already this month we’ve been open for our neighbors at night and there are more long nights on the way. Please keep us in your prayers as we stay open for our neighbors.