Donations help The Rose stay open one year

Redwood Gospel Mission's Santa Rosa homeless shelter for women and children will stay open for at least a year, the result of a two-week flow of emergency contributions, officials said Monday.

The 32-bed west Santa Rosa shelter founded in 1999 was expected to close Thursday because of financial woes, said mission director Jeff Gilman.

But an outpouring of support - in the form of cash and pledges - will allow The Rose to continue its vital role into the future, Gilman said.

"A lot of people stepped up and made generous donations," Gilman said. "We're very grateful."

After three years of budget deficits caused by flat donation levels, the mission board announced Jan. 9 that it would close The Rose as a cost-cutting measure, Gilman said.

The mission operates three other homeless shelters and numerous programs on a budget of about $2.3 million, Gilman said.

The Rose costs about $180,000 a year to operate, Gilman said.

After publicizing the pending closure, contributions began to flow again, Gilman said. The mission took out a full-page ad soliciting donations that ran in the Feb. 18 edition of The Press Democrat and held a benefit concert at the Santa Rosa Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Since then, the mission has raised $86,000 in cash and secured $100,000 in pledges, Gilman said.

The money came in both large and small donations. Gilman said large donors asked to remain anonymous.

"It gives us great encouragement that the people of the community are behind our ministry," Gilman said.