Helping homeless families since 1993

Interfaith Hospitality Network of the South Hills is an interdenominational program that links local congregations to offer round-the-clock shelter, meals and social services to homeless families in the southwestern Pennsylvania area. You can help fight homelessness by supporting IHN in many different ways.

Who do we help?

Homeless families including:

Husband and wife (including common law) with or without children
Single parent with children
Legal guardian or custodial relative with children

Research has indicated that 2.3 to 3.5 million people experience an episode of homelessness every year in America, while 900,000 to 1 million people are without shelter every night

How does IHN work?

Shelter
24-hour shelter is provided, with evening and overnight accommodations provided by area churches; our "host congregations." Guests are transported to IHN's Family Center in Crafton during the day, where they take care of daily living tasks, such as showering and laundry.

Family Center
Guests work with staff to set priorities and take the steps necessary to gain self-sufficiency. Services are comprehensive and tailored to address specific family issues, and are often continued after families leave our network.

Meals
Host congregation volunteers provide a family-style evening meal as well as breakfast. Guests use the Family Center kitchen to prepare their lunches.

Hospitality
IHN's trained volunteers welcome homeless families to their churches and offer a caring, interactive environment. Network guests often form valuable and beneficial friendships with congregation members. Many guests have discovered community resources, employment leads, and housing opportunities through interactions with volunteers.

What does IHN offer homeless families?

Social Services:

Implementing a service plan and providing case management
Increasing awareness and utilization of other available services, benefits and resources
Providing referral information and access to other services and agencies
Offering personal counseling
Assisting in securing training and employment
Enrolling children in appropriate schools
Arranging for any needed medical or dental care
Providing follow-up support and services after families leave our Network

Housing:

Assisting families in finding homes, in either the public or private sector, often using volunteer resources and suggestions.
Providing furnishings for guests' homes including furniture, appliances, linens and household accessories.
Distributing donated supplies; including food, paper, and personal items, to help IHN families set up housekeeping.

The information above in PDF format [PDF-33KB ]

"I pray the next family who finds themselves in IHN,
realize how truly blessed they are."

A former guest