Inter-Faith Hospitality Network (IHN)
IHN started in 1989 and serves homeless families in Central Montgomery County, providing extended shelter, food, and other help in one of the compassionate local churches and synagogues, which act as Host congregations. Buddy congregations provide supplementary services. If necessary, a family in need can remain for up to three months in the Network, although they are moved from one congregation to another during that time. Each congregation in the Network accommodates three families at a time, with special facilities at Hope Gardens set aside for them to use during the day. Host and Buddy congregations, relying on their volunteers, provide the families with overnight shelter, meals, transportation when necessary, and child care during meetings. Each guest family also receives assistance from a volunteer family advocate and budget counselor. The advocate and budget counselor, as a team, help the family to set appropriate goals, find employment if needed, locate and apply for affordable housing, locate subsidized child care, and develop a workable budget.
Below is a current list of IHN's Host & Buddy Congregations. Contact Kimberly to volunteer your congregation to help in our network:
IHN Ambler:
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Supplee Memorial Presbyterian
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Ambler Church of the Brethren
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Ambler Mennonite
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Grace Baptist
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Bethlehem Baptist
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Boehm's United Church of Christ
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Calvary Methodist
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Zion Baptist
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Congregation
Beth Or
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First
Presbyterian of Ambler
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Gwynedd Friends
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St. Thomas' Episcopal
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Or Hadash
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St. Anthony's
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St. Mathew's Episcopal
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Sanctuary Methodist
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Trinity Episcopal
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Upper Dublin Lutheran
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Maple Glen Bible Fellowship
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Tiferet Bet Israel
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Reserved for |
your church |
Reserved for |
your synagogue |
IHN Abington:
Glenside/Abington Methodist |
Abington Presbyterian |
Episcopal Church of the Advent |
St. Paul's Evagelical Lutheran |
Resurrection Community |
New Life Presbyterian Dresher |
Holy Trinity Lutheran |
St. Anne's Episcopal |
Hatboro Baptist |
Abington Baptist |
St. Luke's the Evangelist |
United Church of Christ, Warminster |
Carmel Presbyterian |
Jarrettown Methodist |
St. John's Lutheran |
St. Paul's Episcopal |
Glenside United Church of Christ |
Calvary Presbyterian, Wyncote |
Calvary Presbyterian, Willow Grove |
Your Church Your Synagogue |
To assist the Hospitality Network Congregations, we have provided the 2007 IHN Manual which includes training materials, volunteer job descriptions and I-FHA staff contact information.
In addition, the Indian Valley Inter-Faith Hospitality Network (IVIHN), which started in 1998, serves homeless families in Northern Montgomery County and Bucks County and provides services in the same format as the IHN of Ambler, described above. This was a collaboration between IHN and the Indian Valley Housing Corporation who provided the day facility in the North Penn area and since 2000, operates this network independently.
IHN is affiliated with the National Interfaith Hospitality Network based in New Jersey.
This page updated 14 April 2007