A Warm Place For The Homeless To Escape The Cold

During these hard times of economic recession we have seen a boom in the number of homeless. Neil Donovan, executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit advocacy group National Coalition for the Homeless, estimates that nationwide more than 700,000 people are homeless, up 12,000 from last year. It can happen to anyone – former wall street brokers, army vets, professional athletes, to maintenance workers. You can see some stories here.

Obviously, with what has turned out to be a brutally cold winter for many parts of the country, those that have found themselves in the unfortunate situation of being without a place to stay become very vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions. They risk disease, hypothermia, frostbite, and even death.

In Central Kentucky, some churches are trying to do something about that and I am extremely privileged to have been included in some of these efforts at two different Lexington-based churches. Even though I am not religious, I very much believe in putting one of Jesus’ central teachings into action – “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” set forth in Matthew 25:40.

The Room in the Inn shelter program, which runs from November through March, sees 24 Kentucky churches hosting two groups of 14 pre-screened homeless men for the night, with various patterns of rotation throughout the month. The men are given a home-cooked meal, a bed, the opportunity to shower or do laundry, and the chance to play games or visit with volunteers. The next morning, they get breakfast and a lunch to take with them. Often there is even a mint on their pillow.

“We’re just trying to make them feel at home,” said one organizer right before the arrival of the men. They might be offered a chance to pray, but religion is not pushed, and if they want to talk about spiritual matters volunteers are certainly willing.

Just after everything has been properly organized – beds laid, meals prepared, entertainment set out – I’m left looking over the scene anxiously trying to discern whether or not there is anything else left to do. “Give me a hug,” bellows Rick Price as he bursts from the cold night into the warm hallway of Heritage Baptist Church and breaks my disrupts my train of thought.

“I need a hug,” said Price, giving a familiar volunteer named Shelia a quick squeeze. Over the past few months, the neatly dressed and well-spoken Price has become a favorite guest when the church hosts. Price was once a field rep for a construction company, but he started living on the streets in 2003 after the deaths of several family members sent him into an emotional spin. Last year, he almost lost his hands to frostbite. He was reluctant to ask for help and didn’t like to take from someone unless he could give something back. But Room in the Inn felt different.

I’m sure you can image that Price’s generally upbeat manner wins him a lot of friends. He is now one of two men elected by the guests to be their representatives to the organization’s board of directors. He offers suggestions on how things can be improved.

The idea behind Room in the Inn, which is based on an effort in Nashville, is to interact with homeless men in a meaningful way and to meet them where they are. There is no pressure on the men to do anything. Those who are interested in getting a job or finding their way into other social-service programs are helped as much as humanly possible. Some have found work and gotten off the street.

They are given background checks to make sure they don’t have a history of child sexual abuse and a alcohol breathalyzer test. Although substance abuse is a chronic problem with the homeless population, it’s not an issue for the program. There’s a lot of respect between volunteers and all the other participants. About every couple of months, medical checkups are given by some local doctors.

It’s not uncommon to have more volunteers than actual guests, as volunteers see themselves as extensions of Christ. The program is looking into expanding to women.

Not only does the program help put a real face on the problem of homelessness, it helps volunteers to remember to be grateful for all they have. I can say from personal experience that the volunteers get back more than they give. You can check the National Coalition for the Homeless’ web site for information on homelessness.