What We Do

Interfaith Housing

The DIMH board continues to reflect the diversity of Greater Dover’s faith traditions, including representatives from varied Christian churches as well as Jewish, Muslim, and Baha’i members. These faith communities along with the Unitarian/Universalists, Hindu, and Buddhist groups and volunteers from numerous local organizations support the shelter with donations and meals. More than 12,000 plates of dinner are served to shelter residents annually on a food budget of zero.

Creating opportunities

DIMH has endeavored to respond to the housing needs of the homeless community, creating opportunities for highly-affordable rental housing to which shelter residents may move once they have a steady income. Two buildings are owned by DIMH. Walt Bagley Hall (see the photo in the paragraph above) is a former office building with room for 25 men, while Interfaith Crossing (see the photo here) is a former motel that houses 18. Four single-family houses are leased to provide additional accommodation to groups of three to five men.

Making a Difference

DIMH shelters and assists 200 or more men annually, with the great majority securing employment, housing, and stability. 400 or more homeless adults are assisted each year in the daytime resource center, where a team of three case managers and dedicated volunteers make it possible for those experiencing homelessness to transform their lives.

Our Mission

Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing is dedicated to building pathways of hope that empower the unhoused, transforming their lives and contributing to genuine community in Central Delaware.

Our Vision

We are a community where everyone experiencing housing insecurity is embraced, supported, and empowered to achieve stability and thrive as self-reliant individuals and families

Men's Shelter

Since 2008 DIMH has maintained and operated a homeless shelter which provides temporary housing for up to 34 men with an average of about 300 annually. Over 3000 men in total have utilized the shelter while they seek employment and work with the help of shelter staff to rebuild their lives. The average period of shelter residence is approximately 50 days. It costs $20 nightly to support a man who resides in the shelter. This includes case management. DIMH has maintained a better than 60% “success rate” over the years in terms of shelter residents achieving employment, housing, and personal stability. The current shelter opened in September 2010 in a renovated, leased space. The shelter will have to be relocated before the end of 2021.

Three case managers each maintain a caseload of about 120 individuals and serve over 200 adults each year. Most are homeless and seek to acquire jobs and housing. During 2018, case managers achieved 222% of program goals, enabling dozens of individuals to move from homelessness to personal stability.

In addition to 3 case managers, DIMH staff includes a program manager, a facilities manager, and four part-time site supervisors. Site supervisors are on duty during evenings and at night when the office is closed.

DIMH has a significant impact on the local economy: those leaving the shelter earn an estimated $3.5 million each year. This is more than ten times the organization’s budget, yielding an impressive economic rate of return.

DIMH depends on donors to cover numerous expenses, including transportation for residents, the provision of kitchen and office supplies, and a portion of staffing costs. Faith communities, local organizations, and volunteers provide more than 12,000 plates of dinner each year for shelter residents, making it possible for DIMH to operate without a food budget for the shelter.

Grant support is received from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services/Office of Community Services, First State Community Action Agency, City of Dover block grant (CDBG) program, the Delaware State Housing Authority, and Grant In Aid.

Resource Center

January 2015 DIMH opened a walk-in resource center on the premises in a donated double wide trailer and serves at least 400 unique individuals yearly. It is open 5 days a week and provides needed services to the homeless population including mailing address, washer and dryer access, shower, case management services including assistance with obtaining needed documents such as birth certificates and state-issued ID cards, help with accessing public benefits such as food stamps/EBT and Medicaid, resume preparation, computer training and job applications, and interview skills. Part-time mental health and health-care assistance is also provided.

The resource center staff are mainly volunteers who are retired educators. Interns from the Department of Social Work at Delaware State University and the Human Services Program at DelTech contribute to the case management and mental health services of DIMH. A community health worker volunteers part-time to schedule medical appointments and to arrange for vaccination clinics as well as health education sessions.

Training in computer safety and in personal budgeting and financial management is scheduled regularly for shelter residents and others from the homeless community.

Since it opened, the resource center has seen an increase in the number of homeless families and in elderly homeless individuals.

Transitional Housing

Walt Bagley Hall is our current shelter and transitional housing for men.)

Transitional housing has been developed by DIMH for those leaving the shelter:

DIMH owns Walt Bagley Hall, which has 25 beds of supportive housing.
Four single-family houses are leased and have rooms rented to individual menmoving from homelessness to self-reliant living.
Interfaith Crossing opened during 2019 with another 18 beds.
In all DIMH-sponsored housing, residents pay a single monthly charge for all housing costs.Residents of Walt Bagley Hall and Interfaith Crossing are provided with meals as well. DIMHcharges only what is needed to recover its costs. Most pay $500 monthly. All residents continueto have access to case management as needed.

Residents of Walt Bagley Hall and Interfaith Crossing are provided with meals as well. DIMHcharges only what is needed to recover its costs. Most pay $500 monthly. All residents continueto have access to case management as needed.