Interfaith Hospitality Network

The Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) is Inter-Faith’s emergency shelter program. The Network provides Montgomery County families with children who are experiencing homelessness with a safe place to stay, along with supportive services, for approximately 90 days. Inter-Faith Housing Alliance is a partner with Your Way Home. Your Way Home is Montgomery County’s unified and coordinated housing crisis response system for families and individuals experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. Families must be referred by Your Way Home to enter our emergency shelter.

Our shelter delivery model is unique and cost-effective. Twenty-five “host” and “buddy” congregations house and support our families for one month each year at their places of worship. Families are provided with comfortable accommodations in classrooms converted to bedrooms. Volunteers from the congregation, who typically contribute more than 3,000 hours of their time each year, prepare and share meals, provide overnight assistance, and help with transportation. Many volunteers make special connections to our families, often providing a level of genuine intrinsic support that bolsters our families and brings them further into a community that is invested in their success.

More than half of our partnering congregations have been involved with Inter-Faith for 20 years or more. While Inter-Faith works in partnership with community congregations, the program is non-denominational.

Each day, participating families visit Inter-Faith Housing Alliance where staff provides intensive case management and comprehensive support services to help families resolve their homelessness. These services help parents care for themselves and their families, improve their life skills and decision-making abilities, and develop the internal resources necessary to become self-sufficient.

Our unique model can accommodate families of various compositions including two-parent households and male-headed households. Most families are single-parent, female-headed households with young children. In FY2021, 13 adults and 14 children were served.

If you are seeking shelter, please call Your Way Home at 211 or 866.964.7925. Interested in getting your congregation involved? Contact Inter-Faith’s Community Resource Manager by emailing sue@i-fha.org, calling 215.628.2334, or filling out a contact form.

Current Congregations in the Interfaith Hospitality Network

 

Please contact us if you are interested in getting your congregation involved.