Putting 'sanctuary' back into the church

As winter approaches and the skies threaten snow, homeless families in the Mat-Su Valley prepare to survive without shelter, some for the first time, others rely on their knowledge that they have done it before.

There are currently no homeless shelters here for families, so they have to fend for themselves. Finding shelter during the day in places such at the libraries or other public buildings, some families are spending the nights in their cars, or camping in wooded areas. Some children are fortunate to be old enough to be sheltered in school during the day, and get that one warm meal at lunch time.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Americans -- children and adults -- are homeless. Shockingly, over half of the nation's homeless are women and children. Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and Alaska is no exception.

The Alaska Division of Public Assistance reports that approximately 10 percent of its caseload are homeless. According to the United Way's 1999 Continuum of Care Plan, 130 Mat-Su families with children spent a least part of the year without a place to stay the night.

And last year, the Mat-Su School District reported 286 homeless children enrolled. According to a needs assessment conducted in May 2001 by the National Interfaith Hospitality Network (NIHN), there are significant gaps in services for homeless people in the Mat-Su Valley. Specifically, there are no general emergency shelters in the Valley.

With only a domestic violence shelter, which turns families away regularly, and a shelter for runaway teen-agers, our community has an important gap to fill.

There may be hope on the horizon, as the people of faith in the Valley are banding together to offer their church buildings and volunteer forces to step into the gap. An organization named the Mat-Su Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network, an affiliate of the national organization NIHN, has been set up to help area churches work together to house families which have recently found themselves in crisis homelessness.

This network will be coordinated by a director trained in social work. This person will carefully screen families in need, and then work with them to regain their self-sufficiency, with jobs, housing, application for medical benefits and insurance and budgeting advice.

Congregations have found that the network provides an effective way to be involved in a hands-on outreach program that serves the poor, and also fosters congregational unity and interfaith cooperation.

In the NIHN program, a host congregation furnishes clean, safe, overnight lodging and nutritious meals for three to five families for one week every two or three months.

During that host's week, other congregations may provide additional volunteers to support the host group -- making healthy meals, playing with children or helping them study, and talking with parents after a long day. Guests use a day center from 8 am. to 5 p.m. to shower, care for preschool children and seek employment.

The day center also provides guests with a mailing address and a home base from which to conduct their housing or job searches.

The Mat-Su Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network is one of 83 such networks across the country, but is the first in Alaska. Fund-raising is the primary push at present, with several grants being sought.

There are three congregations currently committed to hosting families, with one congregation offering its volunteers. Five to seven more churches are being recruited to host, and the day center has been secured.

The network is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, run by a board of trustees, and holds monthly meetings of the Core Group members which are open to anyone interested in finding out more or offering their assistance.

The next meeting will be held at First Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24.

For more information, or to donate toward this cause, please call Lynn Sterbenz at 376-3108 or Laurie Kari at 376-7301.

This article was provided by Laurie Kari, an organizer with the Mat-Su Valley Interfaith Network.