Who We Are

Late in 2008, a small group of compassionate individuals from a number of religious faiths met to discuss a shared concern – the plight of people without a home or shelter, especially families, in our area. In January 2009, with the support of our wonderful community, we opened our doors for the first time, and thanks to you, we have been successfully serving people in need ever since.

Talbot Interfaith Shelter was born from a partnership between people from different walks of life, all of whom were galvanized around a shared goal: ending homelessness on the Mid-Shore.  To this day, many hundreds of volunteers, donors, and supporters come together each year to share in carrying out our mission and guiding the men, women, and children in our program from homelessness to Success.  

Our Shared Mission

We are dedicated to ending homelessness on Maryland’s Mid-Shore by providing Shelter, Stability, Support, and a path to Success for families and individuals in need.

Our Shared Vision

Our vision is that no one in our community will ever have to spend a night on the streets, in a car or in the woods because he or she cannot find housing. 

Our Shared Principles

We are supported cooperatively by different religious faith groups and community organizations, who respect the individuality, confidentiality, and privacy of guests. Each member of the community is invited to volunteer in this effort. 

We believe that all men, women, and children have an inherent right to adequate housing that is safe and secure. TIS is open to individuals of all races, genders, ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations and religions.

We provide a safe and secure environment that is smoke, alcohol, and drug free.

 

Guests are accepted on the basis of their ability to meet these standards, and our ability to meet their needs with our resources.

We establish policies and procedures that create an appropriate environment for guests, staff, and volunteers. 

We are committed to working cooperatively with other private and public agencies to facilitate guests’ access to appropriate services and help them attain sustainable self-sufficiency.

The S4 Program

After moving into our shelter facility at Easton’s Promise in 2014, we developed the S4 Program (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success).  S4 is a long-term, comprehensive program designed to guide guests from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Through S4, guests receive personalized case management, help navigating local service providers, educational opportunities, and subsidized transitional housing.  In 2021, we finalized the purchase of a second shelter facility, directly next door to Easton’s Promise.  This new house was affectionately named Evelyn’s Place by the community in honor of our founder Evelyn Sedlack.  Easton’s Promise will focus on serving families, while Evelyn’s Place will assist single men and women.

After a background check and interview conducted by our Executive Director Julie Lowe and Director of Operations Fran Doran, and contingent on room availability, approved families and individuals are invited to stay at one of our shelter facilities.  The buildings provide the unique experience of a homelike environment.  At Easton’s Promise, each family has their own room with a bathroom, there is a backyard and living room with a play areas for children, a kitchen where guests can prepare their own food, and guests sit down each night together for “family dinner”.  At Evelyn’s Place, there are separated men’s and women’s rooms and bathrooms, and they also have a full-service kitchen, living room, backyard, and share dinner each evening.  Both houses also have on-site laundry facilities.  This environment is integral to guests’ success, greatly improving the comfort of the children who stay with us, and providing the adults with a renewed sense of dignity, something that often suffers as a result of experiencing homelessness.

Once they are sheltered, guests work with a case manager to create a plan that fits their particular needs and will help them to regain financial stability. Our case managers connect guests with the necessary service providers and provide supervision and counsel as they work their plan.  While participating in our program, guests must also attend relevant classes, including: health, parenting, budgeting, nutritional cooking, relapse prevention for those guests who are in recovery, and a class on poverty called “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World.”  In addition, guests who enter our program without a high school diploma will be tasked with earning their GED as part of their personalized plan.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of more than 400 wonderful volunteers from every corner of our community, who donate over 10,000 hours of their time each year to provide supervision, meals and fellowship for our shelter guests. 

As a result of partnerships with the Housing Commission of Talbot and two private landlords, we have been able to procure ten off-site apartments. Once guests have saved for their security deposit and half of their first month’s rent, are able to pay utilities, and have created a realistic budget, they are invited to move from the shelter facility into transitional housing. Guests start off by paying $350-$400 in rent while we subsidize the remainder, and continue to receive rigorous case management and educational opportunities for approximately two years as they incrementally take over their expenses until they are fully self-sufficient. 

Even after guests “graduate” from our program, they know that they can come to us anytime if they need anything.  We are now a permanent part of their support network, and will be there to help them maintain their independence.

Watch the video below to learn more about the S4 Program!

Easton's Promise & Evelyn's Place

Alcohol & Drug-Free

Easton's Promise is an alcohol and drug-free facility. We also provide a relapse prevention program for guests in recovery.

Homelike Environment

As a former bed and breakfast, Easton's Promise has a living room, dining room, kitchen, and backyard.

On-Site Meeting Space

Easton's Promise has a meeting room so that guests can meet in private with service providers, counselors, and clergy.

Case
Management

Each house has a case manager who creates a personalized plan for each guest and connects them with necessary resources.

In-House Laundry Facility

We have a washer/dryer, and each family is assigned a laundry day so they can wash their clothes at home.

Volunteer Investment

Each year, 450 volunteers from every corner of our community provide 10,000+ hours of supervision, meals, fellowship, and compassion.

Watch the videos below to take a virtual tour of Easton’s Promise and get a sneak peek of Evelyn’s Place!

Our Team

Our Staff has a variety of expertise to help fulfill our mission of bringing our neighbors from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  Working with the Board of Directors, the staff oversees both our day-to-day and long-term needs .

Julie-pic-4

Julie Lowe

Executive Director
410-310-2316

Fran Doran

Director of Operations
410-253-5414

Laura Richeson

Director of Development
443-786-6962

Support Staff

Jeffrey Washington

Case Manager

Joyce Scharch

House Manager and Dinner Coordinator

Dina Spry

Evening Supervision and Assistant to Operations Director

Keith Camp

Overnight and Weekend Supervision

Hannah Palamaras

Overnight and Weekend Supervision

Howard Maxwell

Overnight Supervision

Allison Toney

Evening/Overnight Supervision

Ke’Shaune DeShields

Evening/Overnight Supervision

Trish Wojciechowski

Evening/Overnight Supervision

Nancy Guiseppe

Weekend Daytime Supervision

Board of Directors

 

Peter Woicke

Board Chair

 

Julia McCalmon

Vice Chair

 

Lawrence Neviaser

Treasurer

 

Harvey Zendt

Secretary

Ann Davis

Sandra Hack

Bill Browning

Gail Benjamin

Stein Olavsrud

Debra Kamsheh

Ross Benincasa

Rev. Nancy Sajda

Ingrid Diaz-Lopez

Charlene DeShields