Hospitality for Children in a Homeless Situation

Another great opportunity to show compassion to children is coming up soon. This will be the second time that our church community has had the privilege to volunteer with Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). It’s a great opportunity to live missionally and serve children who are in a homeless situation.

IHN provides homeless families with children a safe, homelike shelter where that family can stay together and share meals, as parents work with a case manager to acquire employment and affordable housing, regain independence and self-sufficiency.

There are five basic components to an IHN program:

• Hosts – Families are hosted by local congregations, who provide lodging, meals, and welcoming care.
  
• Day Center – During the day, guests use the day center – where a specially trained employee provides case management services. All the day center guests are encouraged to pursue employment and affordable housing, tend to preschool children, shower, and do laundry. The day center provides guests with a mailing address and a base for housing and employment searches. Some guests are employed during the day, while older children attend school.
  
• Volunteers – This is where we play a vital role:
  o Cooking and serving meals
  o Playing with children or helping them with homework
  o Interacting with guests, with respect and compassion
  
• Social Service Agencies – Local social service agencies refer families to IHN and also nay help guests find housing, jobs, and benefits.
  
• Transportation – The IHN van is available to transport guests to and from the day center.

The benefits to volunteers, congregations, and the community are numerous. As I see it, the benefits can all be summed up by one word compassion; "to bear with" or "to suffer with” - actively. Watch this short video and I think you’ll get an idea why I think IHN is a good opportunity to Live Missionally.