The IHN facility does many things to support homeless families on their way back to self-sufficiency. One thing that is easy to overlook is people need an address to receive mail and to place on job applications and other documents. IHN provides this and so much more.

The facility at 2925 East State Street opened in November 2009. Families reside in private bedrooms and share the common areas of kitchen, family-room, laundry facilities and playroom/playground for the 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 IHN family center, families find a firm foundation from which to take their first steps toward a return to independence and self-sufficiency.

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 toward self-sufficiency and independence as quickly as possible, it is just as important that they feel welcome during their stay with us.

In the new IHN facility, volunteers from host congregations now come to the East State Street location to provide the evening meal, fellowship with guests, and read to and play with the 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.