Interfaith Network Helps Homeless Families
Recover
Signal Lions Told 11,000 Here Have No
Place to Live
The
Chattanoogan.com
October 13, 2004
By Irby Park
There
are more than 11,000 homeless persons in Hamilton County and
about a third of those are children with an average age of 6
years, said Mary Ellen Galloway, executive director of the
Interfaith Hospitality Network.
Ms. Galloway, speaking at the dinner meeting of the Signal
Mountain Lions Club, said, “Homeless families with
children is the fastest growing population” of homeless
people
The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) is a partnership
among Chattanooga churches with the mission of helping
homeless families with children achieve and sustain
independence.
The network’s mission is to provide hope, shelter,
meals, understanding and comprehensive social services to the
homeless families.
Since 1998 the network here has served 968 homeless
individuals including 612 children, she said, in 290
families. Of those, some 200 families have found housing.
There are 100 such networks in 29 states.
Explaining how IHN works, she said churches with space not
used on a regular basis open that space to families in the
network. The network brings beds, bedding and personal
belongings of the families to the church where the families
stay at night for a week before being moved to another
church.
Network churches host the homeless families once a quarter.
Ms. Galloway said four churches on Signal Mountain
participate, Signal Mountain Baptist, Signal Crest United
Methodist, St. Augustine Catholic and St. Timothy’s
Episcopal.
During the day, the families are at the network’s
facilities on East 11th Street or at jobs they have found or
at school.
She said, “We now have 40 congregations that
participate. Thirty of those are host congregations that have
facilities to open for homeless families.” Those that
don’t have space available provide support for those
that do.
She said the network now “can serve up to 28 persons,
about six to ten families depending on the makeup.” The
families are housed in two churches per week. The program is
volunteer driven with each church providing about 50
volunteers.
A father with five children, she said, recently went through
the program and moved into an apartment and has now been
approved for a new home to be built by Habitat for Humanity
of Greater Chattanooga. She said there are also two mothers
who have been approved for Habitat homes.
A high percentage of the homeless who come into the program
are on the Families First welfare program. The goal of the
network is to work with the people to get them on their feet.
“We only take families with children,” she said,
and “we screen them really well.” The network
screens out any with serious mental problems or drug
problems.
She stated, “We worked hard on some partnerships so now
we are able to get more help for families” providing
counseling, parenting skills, consumer education and other
assistance. The network has someone to help with legal
problems, works on employment opportunities, financial aid to
take classes at Chattanooga State and has the services of a
visiting nurse.
Many low income families, she said, are one or two paychecks
away from homelessness. It happens because of the loss of a
job, increase in rent, sudden illness, family breakup and
absence of family support.
Homelessness happens, she said, because “right now there
is a lack of decent, safe, affordable housing” along
with “a growing gap between family income and the cost
of apartments or homes.”
What helps, she said, is “a community that
responds” and helps homeless families with children. The
program provides congregations with a meaningful way to meet
the needs of these people.
This program builds public awareness and when people know of
the needs, it results in calls with offers of donations,
leads for jobs and housing and other assistance for families
in need.