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Seafarers International House

Opening Hours
Today: Open 24 hours
Sat:
Open 24 hours
Sun:
Open 24 hours
Mon:
Open 24 hours
Tues:
Open 24 hours
Wed:
Open 24 hours
Thurs:
Open 24 hours
Location
123 East 15th Street
Neighborhoods

So much more than a hotel, Seafarers International House was founded in 1873 by the Augustana Lutheran Church as a mission to Swedish seafarers. Open to growth, this mission has evolved to include all manner of sojourners – of many nations and of many faiths.

This 15th Street location operates as a guesthouse for seafarers and other travelers including refugees, asylum seekers, domestic violence victims, and displaced persons. Seafarers cares for these people in a variety of ways, offering social assistance, pastoral care, advocacy, and prayer. The foundation of this mission is a call to “hospitality to the transient,” and the team at Seafarers has appropriately expanded their definition of “transient” to include those who have fared more than the sea itself.

As for those who are seafarers by occupation, the House has expanded their work beyond 15th Street. Now that shipping technologies allow ships to remain in port for mere hours, not days, the guesthouse is no longer the best place for seafarers to get the care they need. Instead, the House has implemented port missions, sending supplies and a chaplain to offer care and companionship to the port itself.

Christopher V. Roehrer of the Seafarers International House team spoke passionately about providing resources to seafarers that allow them to connect with family back home – be that in the form of a cell phone or calling card, internet access, or a even a regional newspaper. Having emerged out of a desire to care for those who feel isolated, Seafarers International House has grown into a hub of hope, offering hospitality to all those feeling out of place.

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