When Leta Watson, a committee member of Room in the Inn program, heard from many women that they felt safe and welcomed in the shelter, she was elated.
“One of the ladies was sad and I said, ‘Well, what’s wrong, Kim?’ And she said, ‘Oh, I miss my family,’” Watson said. “And one of the other guests came up to her and put her arms around her and said, ‘Honey, we're your family now.’”
Women with newborns, toddlers and teenagers found overnight shelter through the program, which ran through January and February. Many of them had faced sexual assault and needed a safe harbor, Watson said.
Room in the Inn partnered with nonprofit shelter UP for Women and Children. The pilot had volunteers from 17 partner congregations. Volunteers screened potential guests and provided case management services and other resources. The average occupancy rate at the shelter was 13 people per night.
Watson remembered one of the women in the program who said she felt safer at the church compared to other local shelters.
Volunteers did encounter some women who had untreated mental health issues, or who did not have their medication on hand, Watson said.
“But sometimes, by treating them more as guests and interacting with them, it was very easy to just talk somebody down and get them calmed down,” she said.
During the pilot phase, dangerously cold weather presented challenges because the church would close at 6:30 a.m., said Watson. On those days, volunteers stepped in, staying with clients until 8 a.m., when the UP for Women and Children shelter opened.
The idea for the program sprung from Nashville’s Holy Name Catholic Church in 1985. Now over 100 congregations in Nashville participate in the program, and 36 other U.S. cities have adopted the Room in the Inn model.
Elsewhere in Kentucky, Bowling Green and Lexington already have permanent Room in The Inn programs.
Watson said the program is preparing for its next season. They’re looking for more volunteers, partner congregations and financial support to expand it to other sites.
