Coordinators: Tim Nabors & Holly Young 

What is Interfaith Hospitality Network?

Interfaith Hospitality Network is an organization dedicated to helping homeless families with children. It offers a collaborative response to homelessness, by combining volunteers from religious communities with full-time professionals to reintegrate the family into the community.
The IHN of Greater Cincinnati is part of a national program, Interfaith Hospitality Networks for the Homeless, founded in Summit, New Jersey. Today, networks operate in over 100 cities around the U.S.

How is MFUMC involved?

MFUMC is currently a support congregation for Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church and will become a "host congregation" for IHN in 2006 when three to four times during the year, for one week at a time, we will host 3-4 families without homes for a stay at our church.

What can I do to help?

IHN relies on volunteers! It takes about 50 volunteers at the local church level to host IHN for a week. We need help in many areas: providing food, securing supplies and donations, set up and take down of the families bedrooms, hosting activities for the children, sleeping in the building as a "host", communications, etc.

How do I volunteer?

Before each IHN week, we will announce the opportunity to sign up to volunteer. At that point, you can stop by the IHN table on Sundays in the Welcome Center of our church. Or, you can contact Tim Nabors or Holly Young who have volunteered to be our church's IHN Coordinators. You can reach Tim at 248-8596 by phone or via e-mail at timnabors@cinci.rr.com. Or, you can contact Holly at 528-5722 or younghr@fuse.net

How big is the problem of homelessness in Cincinnati?

The problem is big and growing. In 2000, there were an estimated 25,000 homeless people in Cincinnati, up from 9000-10,000 fifteen years ago. Families with children are the fastest growing segment of Cincinnati's homeless population.
IHN estimates that there are 2500 homeless families in our community! 65% of the people served by IHN are children, and half of those are five years old or younger. This situation is made more difficult because only two shelters in the community (including IHN) accept families with both genders (fathers, teenage boys, etc.) so families can stay together.

How does IHN work?

IHN works on the principle that the best way to help a homeless family is to nurture them as a unit, empowering them to survive the crises they face and strengthen their family. Therefore, families are helped in a number of ways:
• Short-Term Housing - Churches and synagogues provide short-term housing for 3-5 families (12-16 people usually) for a week at a time. The families are brought to the church by bus each evening. The congregation provides a place to sleep, evening and morning meals, and evening activities for the children.
• Parental Support - Each day, the families are transported to the IHN Day Center in Lower Price Hill, where the adults get support in many ways, e.g., to find housing, employment, counseling, parenting and budgeting classes, and referrals to agencies.
• Children - IHN helps to keep the children in school. They are transported to and from school and to an After Care program.

Is it successful?

Yes! Homelessness is often caused by a multitude of family problems. By taking a multi-disciplinary approach to help families, IHN of Greater Cincinnati has achieved an enviable success rate. For example, only 7% of families helped by IHN return to homelessness - the comparable rate in Columbus is 40%! In the last five years, IHN has helped 377 families (1441 individuals, including 937 children).