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Homeless families are helped by Interfaith Hospitality Network of Little Rock

Every Sunday is moving day for homeless families housed by the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) of Little Rock. They are greeted by members of host congregations in the 18-church network who help them settle in to their new rooms, eat a healthy meal and enjoy evening activities.

Allen Bird of Pulaski Heights UMC, interim co-chair of the board for IHN, said almost every day people call IHN to see if there is space available to them. “There is a huge homeless problem in Central Arkansas,” he said. “And many of those affected are families with children.”

IHN has temporarily housed and fed 70 homeless adults and 107 children since it began operation in October 2005. The congregations which make up this network serve homeless families as a unit, helping them to become independent. Most of these families remain in Central Arkansas with parents employed and housing secured.

IHN is one way for congregations to utilize the space and resources in their church buildings that often go unused. IHN network churches take turns hosting the families. Four of the participating host congregations are United Methodist: Highland Valley UMC, Pulaski Heights UMC, Little Rock First UMC and Maumelle First UMC.

Quapaw Quarter is a support church that provides volunteers who work in the program at the Pulaski Heights Christian Church building. St. Paul UMC, Little Rock, also is a support church and in 2008 the congregation sponsored an Angel Tree program for IHN client families.

Sunday evenings the host church provides greeters to get the families settled in one room per family, always keeping the family units together. “They have dinner and activities or entertainment that can be just watching TV, playing games or talking,” Bird said. Then church members stay overnight in the building with the guest families.

On Monday mornings, the IHN van arrives and transports the families to the IHN Day Center at First Presbyterian Church at 800 Scott St. in downtown Little Rock. Some adults go to jobs where they are working to save for housing and other expenses. Others spend the day looking for employment or attending training. Children go to school or day care and are reunited with their parents at the Day Center at the end of the day.

“The adults meet with caseworkers when they are accepted into the program,” Bird explained. “Weekly goals and 60-day goals are set and monitored along the way. IHN holds their funds in safe keeping in guest accounts to help the families reach their financial goals.”

The families are transported back to the host church each night, where meals and fellowship are provided. On Saturdays and Sunday mornings, the families spend their day together at the Day Center or participate in field trips before they move to a new church each Sunday afternoon.

Highland Valley UMC Associate Pastor Brock Patterson, also interim co-chair of board of IHN, credits the success of the program to founder Paul Flanagan of Pulaski Heights UMC, who now leads another program in the city.

“Paul is the reason the ministry is here in Central Arkansas,” said Patterson. “He felt called to begin this ministry and was looking for churches to participate. Because I knew Paul, I knew the obstacles like liability and logistics would be overcome. And they were.”

IHN is funded through grants and fund-raising activities, according to Elizabeth Camper, IHN case manager.

Camper said most host churches utilize Sunday School rooms for client families’ bedrooms, but two congregations use gymnasiums with side rooms that serve as separate living spaces for each family. Churches also use kitchens, parlors, youth rooms and fellowship halls for common areas when the IHN families are guests. The program is limited to four families with a maximum of 14 family members, but averages three families with 12 family members.

In October 2005, Highland Valley was the first church to host an IHN family. Patterson sees IHN as a wonderful opportunity for people who have never taken part in mission projects or feel uncomfortable going away to have a hands-on project at their own church.

“It is more than serving a meal or staying overnight with the families,” said Patterson. “It is helping parents with parenting issues or helping them with personal financial issues. These are real folks helping real folks.” He said two regular IHN volunteers at Highland Valley are 11- and 12-year-old boys who volunteer with their dads to help serve meals, set the table and play with the children.

“IHN is about local people,” Patterson said. “We can keep track of the families who leave IHN to get homes and jobs.

Patterson said sometimes church members are hesitant to be involved in a mission that is in unfamiliar territory because they are uncomfortable there. “But IHN brings real people in need to our places of familiarity and comfort,” he said. “It allows us to better understand mission work and is getting people involved who have never been involved in mission work before.”

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