As it gets colder many of us begin to think of the homeless and the question of how, or whether, they will survive this winter.
Thanks to the efforts of a number of churches in cities across the U.S. housing won’t be a concern for some homeless this winter. According to an article in the Ashland City Times a program called Room in the Inn has organized shelter for the homeless at a 150 Nashville area congregations. In total the program aims to provide 225 people with a warm meal and suitable lodging every night.
The advantage of churches banding together to provide these services comes through the benefit of shared labor. In its story on the program, the Grassroots.org website describes how the burden is shared:
"Each day, the 12 to 14 churches offering shelter that night are listed on a large board; most churches are asked to provide shelter one night a week. As homeless people report to Room in the Inn for shelter, they are entered into the computer system, which assigns them to one of the churches at random. Each church provides transportation, a hot evening meal and breakfast, and a warm, safe place to sleep. Because the churches bear the nominal costs, Room in the Inn gets along with a staff of two and an annual budget of about $60,000."
In addition to Nashville, TN there are seven other affiliated communities in the U.S and one in Canada that have adopted the program. Of course, with an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 homeless people in the Nashville region this particular program is just a start. The important part is that it is a contribution, and a sizable one at that, by residents that recognize a community problem and are doing something to solve it.
There are two additional links I want to provide in relation to Room in the Inn. The first is a link to our own Solutions for America website of resources related to homelessness; here you will find statistics, description of the scope of the problem, publications, and recommendations on next steps to solve the problem. The second is a link to what is called "The Homeless Guy's Blog"; this is a blog written by a man who was homeless for several periods of time in his life. He describes his experiences and discusses news stories, statistics, and websites of interest. One of the most fascinating is his post titled “Emma Asked” on Saturday, November 25th which answers questions about how he came originally to be homeless and how he survived. The project by the Homeless Guy is touching, sad and hopeful all at once.