Harbor House Ministries inspires children and families in Oakland to build healthy relationships with God and community through educational, spiritual and economic programs. Transform lives by empowering families and youth facing complex challenges in Oakland to live more stable, productive lives. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live well and thrive. Unfortunately, people in low-income communities face barriers to such opportunities. Through our programs, we strive to lower these barriers because we believe that every area of human need is important and requires an appropriate response for the well-being of the individual and the community. In the past 40 years, Harbor House has served more than 100,000 people in spiritual, economic, and educational development. Over the years, programs developed from backyard tutoring to a formalized tutoring program; volunteer-led English classes for adults to a professional ESL program; emergency food and clothing distributed from boxes on shelves to a fully stocked kitchen and thrift store; out-of-neighborhood kids clubs to an in-house after-school program; teens hanging out to teens working as interns; people asking for work to Harbor House-developed businesses and work opportunities; one-at-a-time spiritual mentoring to Bible Studies led by volunteers and chaplaincy work; playground games to organized sports for kids; and a published book, Our World: The Children of Oakland.