20 Nov It Takes a Village…

… and we’re looking to expand ours!

The 32-year-old Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) style of sheltering families is uniquely effective. The IHN model taps into the talents and generosity of an entire community through houses of worship and volunteers from congregations who offer shelter and basic needs to our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Each IHN host congregation provides three families with sleeping space for an entire month. (During the day, residents work, go to school or spend time at the Day Center at Hope Gardens.) Families in shelter move in on the 1st of the month and move on to the next congregation on the 1st of the following month. We are actively searching for a host congregation for the month of June, so if your congregation is looking for a hands-on opportunity to help families that are truly in need, we want to hear from you!

It can take two or three additional congregations (“buddy congregations”) to support a host congregation. Buddies provide meals and volunteers to help the families and support the host congregations. Here’s a great involvement opportunity for a smaller congregation or one that lacks the space to house families. For March 2019, we are looking for a buddy congregation to provide 7 to 10 days for a church in Blue Bell. In August 2019, we will need support for a host church in Upper Dublin for one week. During December 2019, a host church in Maple Glen will need one week of support.

Please see the video linked below to learn about the Interfaith Hospitality Network model and how houses of worship and volunteers support families with children who are experiencing homelessness.

If your congregation wants to become involved, or if you have any ideas of where we can recruit additional groups, please call I-FHA’s Community Resource Manager, Sue Zomberg, at 215-606-3421 or email sue@fpmontco.org.