Homelessness, Volunteers & Good Times

I know you’re asking yourself what in the world does this title mean? How can being homeless and volunteers = good times? There is nothing funny about homelessness. If you’ve never been homeless, or you’ve never been around homelessness, let me assure you that the state of being homeless is one of the worst crisis imaginable. If someone lives in a complete state of crisis day after day, after day, they become mired in the hopelessness of where they are. They begin to feel as if there is no way out.  This is why the title of this muse is important.

Room in the Inn (RITI) is one of my jobs as the Volunteer Programs Director at Homeward Bound of WNC.  More importantly (to me) is that Room in the Inn is where my heart for serving those experiencing homeless began. Here is the RITI rundown. Twelve women x 365 day = 4380 beds available; 36 meals per day (breakfast, lunch & dinner for each lady) x 365 days = 13,140 meals available; two program staff (one program director, one case manager) = more case management conversations that one can measure. Are you overwhelmed yet? Don’t be!

Last evening I attended the annual women’s banquet at Hominy Baptist Church.  I had two RITI program participants accompany me. This isn’t my first banquet with Hominy, nor will it be my last. Who doesn’t want to go to an event that involves over a hundred guests, prizes, great food, an entertaining keynote (always) and more RITI love than one can soak up in three hours! Each of the banquets is themed and last night was about television. We were seated at the Golden Girls table (pretty fitting for us). We began with a great meal, a television game, a video about Room in the Inn and then I spoke, briefly. With a group of people who already know and love Room in the Inn, what do you say? I always give a “numbers” update. Since July 1, 2009 we have served 307 women; we have housed 112 of them (36.5%); of those 112 women there are currently 91% of them still housed (retention rate)!  Those are wonderful program numbers but they don’t tell our whole story. Then I introduced the two program participants, who agreed to join me in my effort to say thanks to this congregation and the volunteers in the room.  How many volunteers, you ask? That number varies per week. Each week there are volunteers who drive, cook, eat with the women, have meaningful conversation with the women, and at least two that agree to stay overnight in their congregation building and watch over the women while they sleep. Amazing, right? Indeed; truly amazing!

Last night it was Michelle and Tish that agreed to accompany me to the banquet. They were nervous but excited. They are in two different places in their journey. Michelle is far enough along that she is finishing up her state certification to become a peer support specialist (look it up)! Tish is just a few months into her journey with RITI and is knocking down her barriers one day at a time. Tish has come so far, in a short amount of time, and we see great things ahead for her. She lived in our area for years before life events landed her homeless. Life events? Yes, each of us has experienced a life event that could have landed us homeless. If we haven’t, we either aren’t being honest about our life events or we don’t recognize those events. Have you ever, or do you know someone who has, experienced a marital problem, a health crisis, suffers from addiction or mental health issues, lost a job? These are all events that, without proper support, might land you in a state of homelessness.  Tish would like to return to the Charlotte area where her family is but for now she remains here because, she says, that she can’t get the case management in Charlotte that she is receiving in RITI. She knows that she needs help to attain her goals but she also needs safe shelter and people who truly care about her. Who are those people?

The heart of Room in the Inn belongs to the multiple volunteers that support it financially and with their hearts. Michelle noted last night while she was speaking that she recognized many faces in the crowd. This, she said, made her feel at home. The ladies tell of the volunteers that talk to them, get them extra pillows at night, cook for them, drive them around and just “love” on them, day after day. Michelle talks about being able to go about her day and complete hard tasks, knowing that she can “run” back to RITI at night and take a deep breath, rest, and go again tomorrow. For many years I have talked about Room in the Inn, lifting our volunteers up as the heart and soul. It is my belief, you see, that the program housing retention numbers are a direct result of two things: a) appropriate case management; and b) the fact that they are nurtured each day by volunteers that give their time because they want to make a difference. It’s not easy to leave your warm bed and sleep only in shifts, but the RITI volunteers do this day after day. While they are with the ladies, their attention is focused on this group of twelve women that so desperately need to know that they are loved, that they are worthy, and that they are entitled to have housing.

When I looked around the room last night what I saw was amazing support. Support from the volunteers for the RITI women. Support among the volunteers for each other. Several of the RITI Steering Committee members were present to support Hominy’s effort: Melissa, a pastor at Hominy Baptist is the chair of our committee; Susan from Skyland UMC; and Kerrie from Trinity of Fairview.  I also saw faith community members from Frances Asbury UMC and from Hendersonville.  You see, this program isn’t about drawing lines and proclamations around who has the best pews.  It is about joining together to support a group of women who find themselves where none of us ever want to be. How can anyone argue with that effort? It is the best, of the best, in ministry together for these women.

Because last night was TV themed, I leave you with a public service announcement:

If you are reading this post and you are a member of a congregation that does not participate in Room in the Inn, email me sharon@homewardboundwnc.org and let’s talk. Having space is not a barrier to hosting and we never turn down financial support.  Room in the Inn is life changing for any congregation willing to open their arms and reach out. Just ask us!