Karen Olson, will visit the Interfaith
Hospitality Network of Greater
Cincinnati on August 20th at 11am to
tour the center and meet with Executive
Director Georgine Getty.
[read more]
Your holiday gift giving will be fun when
you shop among the handicrafts from
around the world at Ten Thousand Villages,
Sunday, December 6th, 2009. [read more]
The Annual Souper Bowl of Caring is a
nationwide fundraising event, the day of
the Super Bowl, which will be Feb. 7th.
[read more]
Isn't it difficult for families to move week to week? Not really. While families enjoy their week stay at each congregation, they usually look forward to experiencing a new congregation. They know that wherever they go, compassionate people will be there to provide them with hospitality.
↑ Return to TopWho does Interfaith Hospitality Network serve? We serve families without homes in the Greater Cincinnati area. By families, we mean a parent or parents with children. We are one of only two family shelters that serve male parents and male children over 12 years old.
↑ Return to TopHow are potential guests screened? Our case manager does an in-depth intake interview, and then checks information like criminal records by accessing information services available to her.
↑ Return to TopWhat are the qualifications for staying at Interfaith Hospitality Network? Besides being homeless and a family with children, guests must not be using alcohol or abusing drugs, must not be committing domestic violence or be the recent victim of domestic violence because the perpetrator is likely to find them, and must not have been committed for a violent crime.
↑ Return to TopHow long may guests stay at Interfaith Hospitality Network? That depends on how long it takes for them to find housing, whether or not they abide by our rules and regulations, and whether or not they actively implement their case plans. Some families have stayed as long as three months, but the average length of stay is only 23 days. ↑ Return to TopWhere do guests go when they move out of Interfaith Hospitality Network? Most guests move directly into homes of their own, either subsidized or market rate depending on their income and other qualifications. Others move in with family members while awaiting housing. A few are reunited with their families in permanent housing. Some move into “transitional housing,” housing that other non-profit agencies provide for families with too many barriers to obtain housing within a couple of months, and people may reside there for up to two years. Transitional Housing is housing with supportive service, such as counseling or employment assistance, and residents pay up to a third of their income while there. Only about seven percent of our guests have returned to area family shelters over the last three years. ↑ Return to TopWhat happens during a normal day for an Interfaith Hospitality Network Guest? A Interfaith Hospitality Network guest wakes up bright and early at the congregation, with enough time to dress, eat, and get ready to board the bus at 6:30 a.m. to head back to the Day Center for the day. Once at the Day Center, guests occasionally have a house meeting, parenting, life skills, or budgeting class. The guests also have time during the day to meet with the Case Manager to establish and work on a case plan.
The rest of the day is spent working on that case plan, both independently and with the case manager. Working on the case plan may include attending a food stamps appointment, interviewing for a job, creating a resume, taking children to daycare, and so on. All guests are expected to return back to the Day Center at 3 p.m. so that they can prepare their belongings and children for the night at the congregation. Guests are also assigned chores to do in the Day Center, and that happens every day at 3:30 p.m.
At 5pm, the guests board the Interfaith Hospitality Network bus, and head out to the congregation for the evening. Once at the congregation, the guests are greeted by volunteers at the congregation and settle in for dinner and evening activities. Each congregation differs in the activities they provide in the evening. Some congregations offer time for guests to relax and hang out, while others plan entertainment for the guests, such as magic shows, trick dogs, or movie night. At bedtime, the guests retire to their family's private sleeping space for a good night's sleep.
