It’s a new day for the Interfaith Hospitality Network.  For nearly ten years IHN utilized a small, overcrowded home on Gay Street as a day center and housed homeless families at various church locations during the night. Though the IHN “host congregations” were extraordinarily kind, generous, and hospitable to their “guests,” it became increasingly clear through the years that moving from site to site on a weekly basis was difficult for families, especially children, already traumatized by homelessness.  After considerable discussion and soul-searching, the Interfaith Hospitality Network board conducted a capital campaign and obtained a federal grant to purchase land, renovate buildings, and provide a more stable residential facility for families.

The facility at 2925 East State Street is now a reality!  Families now reside in private bedrooms and share the common areas of kitchen, family-room, and playroom for children.  While IHN remains an emergency shelter (and in fact is the only area emergency shelter for homeless families), these families consistently report that they feel more “at home” through the crisis of homelessness.  At the new IHN family center, families find a firm foundation from which to take their first steps toward a return to independence and self-sufficiency.

Another significant impact of the expanded facilities of IHN is that we are able to serve so many more families in need.  More than double the number of family members can now receive shelter and services.  With the current economic crisis facing our nation, more and more people have desperately needed crisis housing.  IHN is better positioned than ever before to respond to this need with welcoming hearts and professional case management.  IHN was founded from the challenge and call to serve the “least of these” in our community.  Now we can serve better than ever before.

Most families coming to IHN have left difficult, desperate circumstances.  They may have been living in an apartment without electricity or heat.  They may have been living in their car.  They may have been “bouncing” from the home of one family member to another.  They may have been “split apart” to access services available only to homeless individuals.  At IHN they now have a place to think of as their own.  While it is a key part of our mission to move families forward toward self-sufficiency and independence as quickly as possible, it is just as important that they feel welcome during their stay with us.  The warm welcome so characteristic of the Interfaith Hospitality Network is given even greater expression in our new family center.

In the new IHN facility, volunteers from host congregations now come to the East State location to provide the evening meal, fellowship with guests, and read and play with children.  These volunteers continue to be the heart of the IHN ministry.  Just as guest families have lost their homes, so too have they lost a sense of self-esteem and identity.  Meaningful engagement with congregational volunteers helps to affirm our guests as the valuable human beings they are.  The relationship among guests and volunteers is a remarkable experience of learning and growing for all.  The increased space afforded by the renovated and expanded family center provides many more opportunities for a variety of activities shared by guests and volunteers.

To all who made the new Interfaith Hospitality Network family center a reality:  Thank you so much!  Your generosity and kindness have already touched the lives of many people.  Your goodwill and compassionate action promise to have a positive impact on families for generations to come.

On April 25, 2010, individuals and groups from all over the community will be taking part in the Homeward Bound 5K walkathon to combat homelessness and highlight the need for affordable housing.  We anticipate that hundreds of walkers will gather at Headwaters Park on the 25th to participate.  Registration is from noon-2 PM; entertainment begins at 12:30; welcoming comments start at 1:30; and the 5K walk begins at 2.  This is your opportunity to take a stand (and a step!) to fight the effects of homelessness.

The Interfaith Hospitality Network is one of several homeless assistance programs in Fort Wayne and Allen County sponsoring Homeward Bound and benefiting from this outstanding event.  Participants are asked to sign a pledge form, collect pledges, form groups of co-workers, congregation members, and friends.  Pledge forms and posters may be obtained by contacting IHN at 458-9772 or by stopping by to visit us at 2925 East State.

These are difficult days for homeless families.  Current economic conditions and rising unemployment have contributed to a significant increase in the number of homeless families seeking shelter.  They are desperate.  They are despairing.  Parents struggle to find words to explain to their children that there is no place for them to sleep at night.  They are not so much seeking a hand-out as a hand-up so they can again become productive members of society.

You can make a difference in people’s lives.  You can respond to the needs of the “least of these.”  You can partner with the Interfaith Hospitality Network in its response to homelessness.  Please collect contribution pledges and walk with us on April 25th.

In early August, we were excited to announce the Reverend Dr. Terry Anderson as our organization’s new executive director. Rev. Anderson comes to IHN from First Presbyterian Church in downtown Fort Wayne, where he served as senior pastor and head of staff since April 2008. He will guide our very important mission as the only emergency homeless shelter in Fort Wayne that keeps families together.

“Fort Wayne often has been called the ‘City of Faith,’ but it also might be known as the ‘Community of Compassion,’” Rev. Anderson said. “The people of our community have a long history of caring for those in deepest need and greatest crisis. I am honored to become a part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network family, an agency that calls forth the A publication of the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. P.O. Box 13326 Fort Wayne, Indiana 46868-3326 Phone: 260-458-9772 Fax: 260-258-0552 Welcome to our new executive director best of our faith traditions to serve the least, the last and the lost of our society.

“As the Fort Wayne area’s only emergency shelter for homeless families,” he continued, “IHN preserves family unity while providing for those in profound need with a strong sense of dignity and respect. The Interfaith Hospitality Network recognizes that we are all children of God, that we share a common humanity, and that we deserve kindness and compassion from one another. IHN is ‘love in action,’ and I am proud to be a part of this work of meaning and purpose.”

Rev. Anderson brings more than 25 years of experience in ministry, service and organizational leadership to IHN. His  experience includes 13 years as the executive director of the Samaritan Counseling Center in Fort Wayne, four years as a program director for Parkview Behavioral Health in Fort Wayne, and six years as an associate director for Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County. He has earned several professional certifications that will suit him well for his new role with IHN, including as a licensed clinical social worker through the State of Indiana and as an authorized supervisor through the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. In addition, he was a founding member of the Mayor’s  Commission for Interfaith Understanding.

In addition, his extensive experience in inter- and cross-faith organizations includes as a cofounder of the Northeast Indiana Interfaith Alliance, as well as roles with the Clergy United for Action, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, One Church-One Offender and the Heal the Land services group sponsored by the Peace and Justice Commission of Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County.

Ahnee Conner, president of IHN’s board of directors, welcomed Rev. Anderson by saying, “His experience, his energy and his excitement will have a wonderfully positive impact on everyone here at IHN. We are lucky to have him.”

In September 2008, Morehouse College in Atlanta awarded Anderson the 2008 Gandhi King Ikeda Community Builders Peace Award in recognition of his commitment to and leadership in issues like human rights, humanitarianism and peace. Prior recipients of the award include Rosa Parks and Andrew Young, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Welcome, Rev. Anderson! We’re very excited to welcome you to the IHN family.

Ahnee Conner has been named IHN’s new Board of Directors Chair. Ahnee has served on the IHN board since spring 2007 and throughout her time with us, she has been instrumental in serving IHN as an officer, both as Secretary and Vice President. She has actively participated at every level of volunteering for IHN, including strategic planning, interviewing of potential IHN employees, painting and other hands-on help, and spending valuable one-on-one time with our families—especially the youngsters.

Ahnee has true passion for the families we help at IHN, and she is especially dedicated to the children. She brings a vast amount of experience in working with children to IHN. From teaching emotionally challenged adolescents to working as a volunteer tutoring with South Side Opportunity Services, to substitute teaching in Fort Wayne for many years, to having seven children and 10 grandchildren of her own, Ahnee is well qualified to work with and advocate on behalf of IHN’s little ones.

In addition, Ahnee has worked in several family-owned businesses throughout the years, and her business acumen will help guide IHN as it moves forward during an important new period. Overall, it’s easy to see how and why IHN will benefit greatly from Ahnee’s leadership skills and passion for families without homes. We are thankful and excited to have her as board chair.