May We Introduce You?

Rimmon Schurik is the Operations Manager at Dorothy Day House. Born and raised in Berkeley, Rimmon joined us in 2017 and has been making sure everything runs smoothly ever since. Before working for Dorothy Day House, Rimmon worked in various for-profit fields in the local service industry.

“The most notable change in Berkeley throughout the years outside of the construction would be the explosion of the homeless population,” says Schurik, “I had wanted to help for a long time but didn’t know how.”

Shortly before joining Dorothy Day House, Rimmon burned out - and was left searching for a higher purpose.

“I began to volunteer at a weekly spaghetti dinner,” he continued, “A friend finally convinced me. It was the first time in a while that I enjoyed doing something.”

For Rimmon, experiencing this work was a personal revelation.

“This was the first time I could see myself sticking with something that I enjoyed for the long term,” he says with a smile, “Instead of working to just survive, I found a job that gave me a way to live.”

Dorothy Day House’s approach to homelessness has always had a uniquely personal touch to it – and Rimmon had a crucial role in shaping it.

“We make it a point to treat our guests with humanity – making sure they feel safe and comfortable is our priority,” Rimmon says, “Especially when we need to hold their hand through particularly tough parts of their journey.”

Having been one of the faces of Dorothy Day House for the past several years, Rimmon rarely has a slow moment on the job. When he is not working, he enjoys watching Warriors games and critiquing movies.