The Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing (DIMH) is a nonprofit organization of local faith communities concerned with the needs of homeless men in the Greater Dover area.  It was formed by a group of faith community representatives who sought to provide cold-weather shelter in early 2008 following the inability of past shelters to meet the needs of men.  Other local shelters focus on women and families, leaving men–literally–out in the cold.

DIMH is governed by a board of directors who represent the diversity of local faiths in the Dover area.  Over forty faith communities and more than 1,000 volunteers have halped to feed the homeless in our shelter, making possible for us to serve over 12,000 plates of dinner each year with a food budget of zero.

A commitment was made to address the shelter and other human needs of homeless men, and DIMH opened on a permanent basis on December 1, 2008.  Limited financial resources provided for an office/intake center with a shower for guests to use prior to using the shelter of church halls, and for part-time staffing.  Board members organized local faith communities to provide dinner and breakfast to shelter guests daily, and church halls were used on a rotating basis through early September of 2010.

Between late 2008 and mid-2010, over three hundred men were sheltered and fed, with 20 to 35 sheltered at one time.  Shelter capacity was determined largely by the space in the hosting church hall.  Nearly fifty faith communities and organizations provided meals along with numerous individuals and families.  During 2009, over 10,000 individual dinners were served with a food budget of zero.  This is all thanks to the generous contributions of community people and to the more than one thousand individuals who volunteer annually to assist DIMH.