On any given night, 8,600 Minnesota adults, teens and children are either homeless or without stable shelter. Of these, 41 percent have jobs. Children comprise 25 percent of the homeless population nationally.
Those statistics from the Wilder Research Center in St. Paul challenge formerly-held beliefs that those without homes are either chronically mentally ill, lazy, or chemically dependent. The reality is that all that stands between many people and the streets is job loss, illness or a sudden change in a domestic situation. And, as a percent of the total population, homelessness is just as likely to occur in suburban and rural communities as in large cities.
While there are some shelters for the homeless in larger cities, there are often no suitable resources for families, particularly in the suburbs and in Greater Minnesota, and fewer and fewer governmental resources to pick up shelter costs.
That’s where the National Interfaith Hospitality Network (NIHN) comes in. Founded in 1988, NIHN has established and supported 92 programs in 27 states and the District of Columbia, partnering with 81 organizations who work with over 2,200 congregations of all denominations. These provide short-term, safe shelter while program participants work on resolving whatever situations led to their lack of permanent housing.
NIHN has Interfaith Hospitality Network programs in the Twin Cities and in Rochester, MN. and is now reaching out to the exurban and rural areas. One example is in Isanti County where 13 churches have agreed to partner with New Pathways, Inc., a non-profit Family Resource Center that serves at-risk families with children. New Pathways, Inc. is the force linking local congregations with the NIHN program.
Each church will take one week, four times a year to provide overnight shelter for homeless families with children. Church volunteers will provide the evening meal, breakfast and a bag lunch to be taken to a Day Center where families will receive training and help with finding affordable housing. Families will have 30 days in which to find housing and move out of the program.
While in the program, shelter guests are welcome to participate in any church activities they wish but participation is always optional. The intent of the church involvement is to provide friendship and support to families while they are resolving their own shelter problems. Considered to be church “guests,” program participants will be treated as any other guests in one’s own home. Volunteer families from the church will stay at the church overnight to provide security.
Program participants are screened by New Pathways, Inc. and cannot participate if there are chemical dependency or violence issues. Anyone found using chemicals or who displays any behavior not in the interest of the other families will be immediately removed from the program.
The NIHN programs provide home-like, temporary shelter in a comfortable, safe and private setting. Families are housed individually in their own private spaces, most often in rooms otherwise used for Sunday School classes. Equipment, such as beds and bedding, is provided to the churches and moved among participating churches when their time ends. The cost is $6 per day per person as opposed to the $38 daily national shelter average.
It appears to be a win-win situation on all sides with churches demonstrating a tangible form of outreach ministry, program participants becoming empowered to take responsibility for their own living situations and services provided at a reduced cost at a time when social service agencies are struggling with reduced resources and rising costs.
More information on the program can be obtained through the National Interfaith Hospitality Network Web site at www.nihn.org or by calling 908-273-1100.
Editor’s note: This editorial was a product of the ECM Editorial Board.
