Room in The Inn, a program that helps faith communities provide overnight shelter and food to people experiencing homelessness, will launch as a pilot program in Louisville next month.
Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral downtown is partnering with service provider UP for Women and Children and will be the main site for the pilot.
The church is reaching out to other congregations and faith communities in hopes of getting volunteers to help provide meals and support for up to 15 people at the cathedral.
Rev. Matthew Bradley said the program is a way for faith communities to come together and help people in need.
“We all understand the need for a place to get in and be safe. And so I think that it resonates at a visceral level and a heart level, where, you know, what we want to be able to do is offer hospitality and care,” he said.
So far, Bradley said three congregations said they would recruit volunteers. The program runs from Jan. 6 through February
Room in The Inn was started in 1985 at Nashville’s Holy Name Catholic Church. Nashville now has over 100 participating congregations, and the model has spread to another 36 cities.
Bradley said it’s been successful in other cities, and each one does it differently. In Kentucky, Bowling Green and Lexington have Room in The Inn programs.
“The core of the ministry is people who are part of faith communities, coming together and opening space in their buildings, providing a hot meal, sitting down and sharing that meal. You know, treating people who are facing housing challenges like people while you're offering them a safe space. That's common to all of them,” he said.
If the pilot goes well, Bradley said the church could expand it to other sites in Louisville and possibly help other groups in need like single men, families, the elderly and veterans.
