The first iteration of The Lobby will be a help center, a lounge space, and an emergency weather shelter. It will serve as a drop-off and distribution space for donated goods to go directly into the hands of those in need. It will be a place where you - someone who wants to help - can come, get to know the community, and find where you fit. 

Led by Sarah Champion, The Allsorts Lobby is the culmination of years of observation and internal planning. She first put these ideas into practice during Winter months of 2024 when she opened and managed a warming shelter as part of her work with the Beat. The warming shelter ran for 70 of the coldest days, served a hot meal every night (thank you Nicki Pope), and provided transportation to the Metro Overnight Shelter. This experience allowed an intrepid group of volunteers to join in the community that our street friends had already built. From the very first night, the homeless community has been invested - helping us set up and tear down the space, donating what they may not need, checking in on the wellbeing of volunteers and neighbors alike. 

The Warming Shelter was such a success that our group made plans to continue the momentum into Spring with a Saturday Night Dinner, which is still ongoing and has been refined into a diner-style meal where our street friends can have a seat while we take their order and serve them. This meal serves upwards of 50 people a week, and we intend to move it to The Lobby as soon as possible as our current space is nearly at capacity.

The good we've seen and the dreams we have would take up too much space here. I hope that you will join us in the community we are building and experience it for yourself.