Since 1996, the Urban Ministry Center has been working with congregations of many faiths and colleges to open their facilities on average one night a week to provide shelter and food for the homeless during the winter months (December 1 - March 31). Each site offers a warm, safe place to sleep and serves two meals (dinner and breakfast) and returns neighbors to the Charlotte Transportation Center the following morning.
The program is a way for people of faith to become directly involved with people who are homeless. The simple goal is to keep homeless people from freezing on cold winter nights. A greater goal is to provide a loving relationship to homeless, at least for a night.
The Room in the Inn program began with 20 shelter sites. During the 2006-2007 year, it grew to include 93 congregations and colleges providing 14,749 beds for 1,249 neighbors and involving greater than 5,000 volunteers. We are aware of no other homeless service program in our community that enlists so many volunteers.
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