The Aposento Alto shelter was born from a need: elderly patients without nearby family were being released from public hospitals in San Jose del Cabo and forced to recover from surgeries and other medical treatments on the streets. Learning of this problem, Pastor Joseph turned a tiny piece of land across the street from his church into a humble, cinderblock shelter as a place of refuge and recovery.  

Word spread quickly in the neighborhood.  Soon after welcoming their first resident, others began to arrive.  Shortly thereafter, they began to take in men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, providing them with a soft bed and caring community as they worked to get healthy and reintegrate into society.

Next, a mother with an autistic son and nowhere else to turn asked for shelter.   

Driven by faith in God and a calling to serve, Pastor Joe and Maria Elena scraped together a 35-bed shelter for neighbors most in need.  Over time, those who get well enough to work have contributed a portion of their paycheck to pay for the shelter’s food and water until they are well enough to move on and become fully independent.

The goal of the shelter is to ensure that those of working age have the support they need to reintegrate as productive members of society, and to continuously improve living conditions for the 35 residents who are living there at any time. This includes access to basic necessities (food, clothing, hygiene items), spiritual support, dental care, financial literacy, employment training and specialized care for the elderly residents.