Transcript Homelessness Happens - Homeward Bound of WNC

T H A N K YO U F O R YO U R I N T E R E S T I N
ENDING THE CYCLE OF
H OMELESSNESS I N
OUR COMMUNITY
THE FOLLOWING IS A TRAINING MODULE
P R E PA R E D F O R T H E V O L U N T E E R S O F
ROOM IN THE INN
A PROGRAM OF
H O M E WA R D BO U N D O F W N C
AU GUST 2 01 3
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of Homeward Bound
is working with others to end the cycle
of homelessness.
Our Vision Statement:
 We envision a day when the poor and the vulnerable
among us will no longer be invisible and ignored but
treated with compassion and decency.
 We envision a day when any homeless person,
regardless of psychiatric disabilities, substance abuse
problems, medical issues, or financial poverty, can
move directly into service-enriched permanent
housing and become a productive member of society.
OUR VALUES:
 We believe in the absolute value and worth of every single
human being.
 We believe that housing is a basic human right, integral to
self-worth and dignity.
 We believe that homelessness is a solvable problem.
 We believe that all services should be offered with respect,
empathy, and in the spirit of hope and recovery.
 We believe that we are successful as an organization when
one individual takes one step forward on the journey home.
Test Your Knowledge
Be honest; How much do you really know about
homelessness and the people who are experiencing it?
Do you want to know more? In order to understand about
the community that we serve you need to hear the facts.
You will be moved by the facts and realities that you will
learn today.
THIS IS YOUR COMMUNITY
Homelessness affects
our whole community:
its economy, safety,
health, and sense of
well-being.
When
we
end
homelessness, what we
see is resources freed
up to meet other needs,
local businesses and
tourism faring better,
and our neighbors
restored to lives of
wholeness and dignity.
Why should I care
about homelessness?
Many paths lead
to homelessness:
Job loss.
Mental illness.
Death of a family
member.
Addiction.
Domestic
violence.
Medical
emergencies.
Why ?
Crisis
The only reason people
become homeless is that
their support system
fails during a normal life
crisis.
FACTS
In
Buncombe
County,
about
500
people
experience
homelessness on any given night, and more than 3,000 people
experience it throughout the course of a year. 43% of them are
veterans. 9% of them are children. Very few of them have
come to Asheville homeless; 75% used to have housing in
Buncombe County before they became homeless, and many of
them are from this area originally.
Day to Day:
Feelings:
 Homelessness is often
terrifying, exhausting,
and dehumanizing.
 Fearful and susceptible
to hate crime violence,
theft, and assault.
 Frustrated while trying
to access services.
Reality:
 People don’t look you in
the eye or treat you with
respect.
 Keeping appointments
without transportation.
 Supplying documents like
my birth certificate or
income verification, when I
don’t have a mailing
address to receive them at
or a safe place to keep
them.
What about those who choose to be homeless?
They don’t. It’s that simple.
 No child wants to be homeless as an adult, and no adult is proud of
losing their housing and depending on others to meet his or her basic
needs.
 Sometimes when people become homeless, the only thing they have left
is their self-respect, and it’s important to them to assert that they’re not
victims but that they’ve instead opted in to their way of life.
 And sometimes—most times—when people become homeless and
remain homeless, it gets hard to see a way out.
No one chooses to. . . .
Become entrenched in homelessness, like someone who
becomes ‘institutionalized’ and doesn't know how to navigate the
world outside of an institution. Being homeless requires a skill
set that people in housing don’t have: you have to know where to
find food & safe places to sleep, how to survive with almost
nothing. Likewise, being housed requires a skill set that people
who’ve been homeless for many years may have lost: grocery
shopping, paying rent on time, dealing with loud neighbors.
Sometimes, when someone’s been homeless for a long time, they
may say they’re choosing it, because they no longer remember
what it’s like to be in housing, and they’re scared of the prospect.
What is the solution?
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
 People become homeless
because they lose their
support systems & can’t
maintain their housing.
So when we provide
housing and put those
supports back in place,
we solve homelessness,
one household at a time.
 It’s called the Housing
First model, and it’s a
national best practice and
proven solution; it’s costeffective, sustainable, and
humane.
**Let’s Compare**
Homelessness costs:
 In Asheville, it can cost as
much as $23,000 for one
person to be homeless for one
year. Emergency shelter & jail
stays, emergency room & detox
visits, and other high usage of
expensive public services.
Housing costs:
 If we pay for someone’s
housing plus the case
management services to help
them overcome the issues
they face, it costs about
$10,000 during their first
year; after that, as people
stabilize, the cost drops to an
average of $2600 per person
per year.
And not only
does it save our
community
money...it also
works!
Room In The
Inn has had 43
clients move
into housing
over the last
four years, and
has an 93%
housing
retention rate.
IT WORKS!
What exactly is Homeward Bound doing to end homelessness?
SIX PROGRAMS . . . .
AHOPE Day Center
AHOPE
is often a person’s first entry point to homeless
services in Asheville and serves as our initial
opportunity to meet clients and engage
them in services. A HOPE is the only day
shelter in WNC, and in addition to
providing desperately-needed basic services
every morning, it also hosts community
partners in the afternoons, facilitating a
deeper level of engagement and better
service delivery for clients.
PATH
PATH
outreaches people who are homeless
and mentally ill on the streets, in
parks and campsites, and at other
community agencies. Through PATH
outreach, team members build
relationships that allow them to
connect clients with crucial mental
health care services, as well as basic
needs and housing supports.
Women At Risk
W@R
Women At Risk is an outpatient substance
abuse and mental health treatment
program for women at risk of going to jail
or prison. With case management, court
advocacy, and therapy groups, Women at
Risk
provides
an
alternative
to
incarceration.
Room In The Inn
RITI
is a mobile shelter serving 12 women
each night. RITI is sponsored by over
45 faith communities who take turns
hosting the women for a week,
providing all of their meals, shelter,
and evening activities. RITI is staffed
by a director who works with both the
faith communities and the women to
move them out of the program and
into permanent housing.
Pathways to Permanent Housing
PPH
a Homeward Bound continuum of service
is a direct implementation of the Housing
First model. In this program, case
managers facilitate permanent housing for
clients and continue their work with clients
once housed to develop and enact housing
stabilization
plans
that
lead
to
independence and self-sufficiency.
Hope to Home
H2H
support teams come alongside Homeward
Bound’s already successful supportive
housing program and offer intentional
relational support to help those people
stabilize their lives and maintain their
housing. Each team consists of 8-10 faith
group volunteers who come together to
support one individual or family as they
move out of homelessness and back into
their own independent housing.
L O C A L FA I T H C O M M U N I T I E S
WO R K I N G TO G E T H E R
TO P ROV I D E E M E RG E N C Y S H E LT E R
A N D H O U S I N G F O R WO M E N
What happens when we work together?
12 Years of Mission Service
4380 Beds Provided
13140 Meals
5000+ Volunteers
=
800 + Lives Touched
People of faith:
Be Inspired!
Your mission or social action team has decided
that your faith community is going to host the
women of RITI for one or two weeks during the year.
Room In The Inn provides an avenue for people
of faith to do what they already do best: care for
people in tangible ways and encourage and empower
them to lead healthier, more stable lives.
Your faith community commitment
 Material support: Transportation to and from your hosting sight, three meals
per guest for each day that you are hosting (supper, light breakfast and a sack lunch)
and room to put fourteen mattresses (twelve for your guests and two for your
volunteers).
 Practical support: Would you be willing to help someone study for their GED?
How about driving them to an appointment the week they are staying with you? Do
you have a member of your faith community that could provide haircuts while you
are hosting?
 Relational support: Remembering that the women move to a different faith
community each week they still need all the support that you can give them while
they’re with you. Listening is one of the best forms of support you can offer. These
women have a fulltime case manager but they can always benefit from a listening
ear.
 Financial support: Each faith community contributes a minimum of $1,200 per
year to support the program including the salary of the director/case manager,
weekend staff and miscellaneous occupancy costs and direct services while the
clients are at the AHOPE Day Center.
Making It Happen!
 Your
hosting commitment and your week of
immersing yourself in a mission adventure will move
very smoothly if you understand all of the ins and out
the RITI program.
 You may not be directly responsible for picking the
ladies up, making sure the mattresses are delivered
to the next location or other details but your
understanding of these needs will be helpful!
Your faith community TEAM!
Program Coordinator
 Serves as the primary liaison between your faith community & Homeward Bound.
(Any volunteer is welcome to contact Homeward Bound staff directly at any time,
but concerns should go initially to the program coordinator.) Provide the RITI
director with contact information for each night you are hosting.
 Facilitates RITI team meetings within your faith community. (These meetings will
be held to determine that you have enough volunteers in place for your week. It is a
good idea to have a wrap up meeting after you host the women to determine what
went well and what you’d like to change the next time you host.)
 Attend coordinator meetings bi-annually and calendar planning meeting each
August. These meetings will be held at one of our faith community sites and will
include program updates and time for our partners in RITI to come together and
share our best practices for working with the women.
 Responsible for web training follow through. It is the responsibility of the
coordinator to assure that each RITI volunteer has completed web-based training.
Transportation Planner
Schedule transportation. Responsible for seeing that the women are
picked up at the AHOPE Day Center between 5:45 and 6:00 p.m. each evening and
returning them back to the AHOPE Day Center by 6:45 a.m. in the morning. It is
imperative that the women be picked up on time but not earlier than 5:45 p.m. and
that they are returned as close to 6:45 a.m. as possible to allow them to enter the
Day Center prior to our opening time of 7:00 a.m.
If it is convenient for your faith community to return the women to
AHOPE one hour later (7:45am) on Saturday morning ONLY, it is a nice break
for the women as AHOPE opens at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Sunday morning
schedule remains the same.
Meal Planner
Recruit people to prepare meals and host dinner. Recruit
groups, families or individuals to cook the supper meals, bring lunch
preparations, and breakfast items. Responsible for making sure that there is a
supper meal plan for each night and that (hopefully) it is not duplicated during
the week. Responsible for making sure that there is a light breakfast each day
and a daily sack lunch for each woman. Determine how many people are to be
served each day and notify those who are preparing meals. Determine if you will
use dinner hosts or overnight volunteers to eat and clean after supper.
Overnight Host Recruitment
Recruitment of overnight hosts is a team effort. This should be
completed by your entire RITI Team. You will need to place a sign-up sheet
where it is visible to your faith community at least four weeks in advance. It is
possible for those who work to stay and those who have small children to stay
(they can do weekends when they have backup for their child(ren).
Describe my particular job

Dinner Preparers. Volunteers (Sunday School classes, small groups, youth groups, families,
etc.) who will prepare a meal either at your site or will deliver a meal by 6:30 p.m. to feed the
RITI women and any volunteers that will be present for supper.

Dinner Hosts. Some faith communities utilize dinner hosts to eat with the women and then
clean up after supper. The dinner hosts then leave when the overnight hosts arrive.

Breakfast Preparers. Volunteers may choose to come and prepare breakfast very early in
the morning or they can bring breakfast food the night before to be used the next morning.

Lunch Preparers. Volunteers should bring lunch food the night before their assigned day.
This may be lunch meat, chips, etc., to be packed by the women or may be pre-packed in sacks
by the volunteers.

Transportation. Drivers will be needed to and from your site each day.

Overnight Volunteers. Each night you will need a minimum of two adults (one must be
female) to spend the night with the women. One person must remain awake at all times during
the night. PLEASE do not allow male volunteers to access the area where the women are
sleeping.
Details & Other Tasks

The mattresses will arrive at your host site on Sunday morning. The mattress delivery
should be arranged between your coordinator and the coordinator of the faith community
preceding your week. After your host week, you may chose to transport the mattresses to
the next faith community with your own vehicles or, through a partnership with Loving
Food Resources (www.lovingfood.org), you can arrange for the mattresses to be picked up
at your faith community and delivered to the next hosting site. Your volunteers will need
to be present to load the mattresses and there is a nominal charge for this service. For
information on this please contact the Room In The Inn director.

Dinner Hosts or Overnight Volunteers (or both) should arrive at your location in time to
assist those who are preparing food or delivering food. This is generally by 6:00 p.m. The
volunteers that are eating with the women should always be present to greet them.

The RITI women should be picked up at the AHOPE Day Center between 5:45 p.m. and
6:00 p.m. It should never be later than 6:00 p.m. when the women are picked up and
they should arrive back at the AHOPE Day Center no later than 6:45 a.m. the next
morning EXCEPT SATURDAY, when we ask that they arrive at AHOPE at 7:45 a.m.
When the women arrive, hosts should greet them warmly and:
1) Review the general guidelines (the guidelines should be posted in various places
and this should be done the first night and anytime that you receive a new guest
during the week),
2) Show the women designated areas such as bathrooms, sleeping area, smoking
area, etc. It is also important that you explain to the group places that they may
not be allowed to be at your facility.
3) Discuss morning’s departure time. It is important that everyone be ready to
leave on time so that they arrive at AHOPE on time.
Supper should be served by 6:30 p.m. Allow the women to assist you in cleaning
up if they offer. Working together will promote fellowship and trust among both
the women and your volunteers. If someone doesn’t wish to help that’s okay.
Your doors should be locked at dark and lights out for the women is 10:00 p.m.
At least one volunteer MUST REMAIN AWAKE AT ALL TIMES. All of the
women may not be able to sleep all night and that is okay but there is no smoking
after 10:00 p.m. until the next morning.
Please provide a light breakfast and a sack lunch for the women. Your volunteers
may pre-pack lunches or the women can assist in doing this either prior to
bedtime or early in the morning.
The NOTEBOOK . . . .

There is a RITI notebook that is sent with the women each night.
In the notebook you will find a list of the women’s names. In
addition, beside each name will be important information that you
might need to know about that client. For instance: RX indicates
that the client will be taking a nightly medication; if the client is
arriving late or leaving early; if the client is providing their own
transportation and other logistical points.

We DO NOT provide detailed medical information about any
client because we are HIPPA compliant and sensitive to the clients’
privacy. A client may, or may not, give you information about their
health or mental health status. There may be very specific times that
a client signs a release specifically allowing Homeward Bound to
share medical information about them and, in that case, the
information will be found near the client’s name in the book.
More about that Notebook!

The contact information for the RITI Director is located in the
notebook. If you have a question that needs to be addressed after
office hours (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) please call the number listed for the oncall person (generally the RITI Director), LEAVE A MESSAGE, and
you will receive a call back within the hour. If, for any reason, you do
not receive a call within the hour please place a second call and email
the RITI Director at your earliest convenience to let her know about
the emergency and unanswered call.

PLEASE take time to read the information in this book and make
nightly notes about how your overnight stay went (on the reverse side
of the sheet with the names of the women) and return the book to the
AHOPE Day Center in the morning with the women.
Rules: We all crave structure. . . .

It is human nature to crave structure in our daily
lives. The women that participate in RITI are no
different. For that reason there are basic guidelines
that each faith community is asked to follow. These
same rules are explained to the client upon her entry
into the program and she is asked to sign them. As
we all do, from time to time, they will occasionally
try to push the envelope with the rules. Please keep
in mind that if you don’t provide an environment
that adheres to the rules it makes it difficult for the
next faith community to do so.
Rules and Tips

No Use of alcohol

No Weapons

No drugs – coordinators will be notified of prescription medication use by the clients

No fighting

No foul language or abuse

Cell phones may be used as follows: Cell phones may not be on during supper. Cell
phones may be used after supper until 10:00pm (lights out). NO CELL PHONES SHOULD
BE USED FOR CALLING/TEXTING AFTER LIGHTS OUT.

Each guest will respect the property of the other guests and of the host church

Smoking in designated area only. No smoking after 10pm. LIGHTS OUT until morning
wakeup . Wakeup should be no earlier than 5:30 a.m.

No one may leave the shelter at any time, for any reason, and be allowed back into the
church. This includes returning to vehicles that are at the church.
There are various ways to apply the rules. We
recommend that you post the rules in several
places where the women will be at your location
(don’t go overboard).
Be diligent about explaining to the women where
they may, or may not, be at your location.
Remember that they know the rules and have
signed a contract to adhere to them.
What if a rule is broken?
If a participant in the program violates a rule while they are at your facility there
are two ways to handle the issues:
1. If you feel the matter needs to be addressed urgently, please contact either
the program director or the on call person. You will find a number for this
person in the front of the overnight book.
2. If you feel the matter can be addressed the next day, please write a note to
the program director on the nightly sheet. It is important that you leave your
name and contact number with the information in case there are questions.
If there is ever a rule violation that is a safety concern, please dial 911 or
the appropriate authorities. At your earliest convenience please notify
the program director or on call person.
Health Emergencies

As you may guess, many of your guests do not have access to
adequate health care. There may be times when one of your guests
experiences a health issue. Please use the following precautions:

In case of a serious emergency, it’s always best to call
911 (NEVER drive someone to the hospital yourself)

If someone is feeling sick and considering going to the
hospital, try and contact Homeward Bound, RITI Director
Sharon Blythe (776-9741). Leave a message and Sharon (or a
Homeward Bound on call staff member) will call back to talk with
the client. Sending someone to the hospital with an ambulance is
expensive, and so we want not to rush to 911 to quickly. But if
there is any doubt, err on the side of caution.
PLEASE do not volunteer if you are ill!
 It is your responsibility to help prevent the spread of germs to
your guests, especially during cold and flu season. Here are
some helpful guidelines:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please wash your hands before handling any food
 Please make sure hand sanitizer is always available in the
dining room
 Please make sure soap and paper towels are in stock in the
bathroom
 Dinner hosts/overnight volunteers: Please be sure to wipe
down all surfaces with disinfectant spray at the end of the
meal.
What if someone gets sick or there is an accident?
"Universal Precautions"
is an approach to infection control. All human
blood and certain human body fluids are treated as if
known to be infectious for HIV, Hepatitis B virus
(HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and other blood
borne pathogens. It is not always possible to know
when blood or body fluids are infectious; therefore,
all body fluids shall be handled as if infectious.
Please read the suggestions on the following page.
Here are guidelines to assist you if someone
should be sick or have an accident:
Gloves, bleach spray and a first AID kit should be available
to you at your sight. A mop and bucket should also be
available. Follow these guidelines for cleaning up bodily
fluids (e.g. vomit, blood in the bathrooms etc.) as necessary:
 Always wear gloves!
 Wipe up spill with paper towels and place in plastic bags
 Spray area with bleach solution.
 Let solution sit for 20 minutes
 Wipe up solution with paper towels
 Double bag and dispose of paper towels in garbage bag
FAQ’S
These are the most
frequently asked questions
that we hear from our
volunteers! This does not
mean that there are no
other questions to be
asked!
Remember:
every question is important
if it gives you a better
understanding and makes
you a more comfortable
volunteer!
Are the women screened before
they come to our host site?
Yes. Each night the women work
with a Homeward Bound staff member
before you pick them up. The
Homeward Bound staff is trained to
recognize signs that there is a problem with
a client, however, if you have a woman that
is behaving inappropriately you should
contact the RITI director (or weekend oncall staff) immediately.
F
A
Q
‘S
Should we eat with the women?
Yes. This is the best time for you
to get to know the women of RITI.
General conversation is a great
way to start (how was your day).
Most likely you will find that after
the ice is broken these great
women will tell you about
themselves.
F
A
Q
‘S
What information can I share
with the women?
It is fine to share some details of
your life with the women.
Again,
generalization is a good rule. Do not give
out your telephone number, address,
place of employment (e.g. I work at a
bank versus I work at Bank of America)
or other detailed personal information.
It is okay to tell the women that you have
a spouse, children, etc., again providing
no detailed information about them.
F
A
Q
‘S
Do we have to provide an area
for the women to smoke?
Yes. Each faith community is
required to provide an outside area
where the women may smoke. The
women may smoke until 10:00 p.m.
lights out and may not smoke again
until 6:00 a.m. when they are up for
the day. It is not necessary for you to
accompany the women to smoke,
unless your facility requires it.
F
A
Q
‘S
May the women have cellular
telephones?
Yes. The majority of our women have
phones that are supplied through Assurance
Wireless, a Lifeline Assistance program
administered by Virgin Mobile and
supported by the federal Universal Service
Fund. The women MAY NOT use their
telephones during supper and the phones
must be turned off at 10:00 p.m. If there are
phones that ring during the night, or the
women are texting, it is important that you
make a note in the RITI book so that this
may be addressed with the women.
F
A
Q
‘S
Will the women have individuals
visiting them while they are at the host
site?
The simple answer is no. The women
are not supposed to disclose their location as
that would be a breach of confidentiality on
their part. Therefore, no one should be
visiting them at your site. There could be
situations where an officer of the
North Carolina Probation and Parole
come to visit someone in the RITI
program. Be assured that this is a
necessary visit or it wouldn’t be made during
the evening hours.
F
A
Q
‘S
What security measures are
in place for the women while
they are at a faith community?
The women are instructed not to
give their location to others.
If
anyone (other than law enforcement,
probation and parole, or the RITI
director) should show up at the host
sight asking for a RITI participant,
please lock your doors and notify the
police or sheriff’s department.
F
A
Q
‘S
Will all of the women in Room In The
Inn be housed?
It is the goal of Homeward Bound to place our
clients in supportive, permanent housing. The clients have
responsibilities to work with their case manager to
determine the steps necessary to place and keep them in
housing. Our women will almost definitely be in an
apartment, not a house, and will either live in public
housing or in scattered site housing. Public housing means
that’s it’s through the Housing Authority of the City of
Asheville, and that rent payments are based on income.
Scattered site housing means a private apartment with a
private landlord, just like where you might live. In
scattered site housing, Homeward Bound usually pays rent
& utilities for the client until she is able to receive a
permanent Housing Choice Voucher (what used to be
called ‘Section 8’) or starts generating income and can take
over those payments.
F
A
Q
‘S
What does the case manager do for the
women and why is it important?
It is the job of the RITI director/case manager
to first screen the women for the program and
determine that they are appropriate and capable of
maintaining while in the program. There are a
number of things that factor into this decision such
as how long someone has been clean and sober,
what daily steps they are taking to maintain and
what they wish to accomplish while in the program.
It is not uncommon if someone interviews and isn’t
currently appropriate for RITI that they are given
goals to meet to become part of RITI. In this case
other shelter options are suggested for that client
and the case manager can advocate for them if they
wish.
Continued. . .
When a client is accepted into RITI an entry agreement is completed and
signed by the client and the case manager. This agreement sets out the required
expectations while they are in the program such as community meetings (AA and
NA), mental health services and other services that client might benefit from,
including furthering their education. This agreement can be modified during their
stay as the client needs change. Each client has contact with the case manager at
least four days per week and has one-on-one case management meetings at least
bi-weekly. It is the responsibility of the case manager to assist the client in moving
forward to housing through whatever steps are necessary and this is very different
for every client. Once a client is housed there is a ninety-day transition period
where the client continues to work with the RITI case manager and their housing
case manager. This affords the client time to get to know their new case manager
before completely exiting the RITI system.
Volunteer Boundaries and Behavior
 Do not proselytize:
Room In The Inn offers you a chance to live out your faith, rather than share it with
the women. If a woman initiates conversation about faith, feel free to proceed, but
don’t initiate it yourself. Just like with anyone in your life, there will be times when
you want to share a spiritual experience that you had, and you’re free to do so, but
please do so respectfully and without imposing your beliefs on the women.
 Do not give over the counter medications to the women. We have OTC
meds at the AHOPE Day Center and the women are allowed to get the meds that
they need prior to leaving the building each night. It is not appropriate for you to
give OTC meds to the women as you may be unaware of other meds that they may
be taking and how the two medications might interact.
 Do not give money directly to the women. If at any time you recognize a need
of a specific client that you’d like offer assistance with, please do so by giving that
money to Homeward Bound, where staff will then use it for the purpose you
designate. The women will know this rule also & shouldn’t ask you for money; if it
happens, please inform Homeward Bound staff by making a note in the RITI book
that you return each morning with the women.

A few more boundaries and behavior items. . .
Do not engage in a romantic or inappropriate relationship with the
women.
Do not use drugs or consume alcohol with the women. The women that
you are hosting may or may not have a history of substance abuse. To be on the
safe side, never drink alcohol or use drugs in their presence. Rather than
triggering a relapse or adding to their struggle with substance abuse, you want to
support their sobriety.
Do not break confidentiality. It’s okay to share with people in your life that
you’re participating in this program, and it’s often educational to the people
around you to hear about some of your RITI experiences so that they have a
better understanding of homelessness. But respect the women & be sensitive by
not disclosing any of their personal information. Instead, take this opportunity to
talk about RITI in general terms, how much it means to you to be involved and
the difference that it makes to our neighbors who are homeless.
The Rewards!
This opportunity to bring mission into the walls of
your building is without compare! RITI is very
different from any other service-oriented mission or
social action work that you will do. We all know
people who want to serve but are afraid to step out of
their comfort zones to do so. RITI provides ample
opportunity for everyone to be involved at their
comfort level in a space that they’re already
comfortable in!
The resources, somewhere to
sleep, meals, transportation and a
loving environment that you will
provide assists these women to find
stability and move forward into
permanent supportive housing.
YOU ARE A PART OF THE
SOLUTION TO END
HOMELESSNESS IN OUR
COMMUNITY.
This concludes the training for your volunteer
experience with Room In The Inn. If you have further
questions, please direct them to the Room In The Inn
coordinator at your faith community.
Please complete the verification provided by your
faith community coordinator.
We appreciate your time and effort!
Sharon P. Blythe
Director, Room In The Inn
P.O. Box 1166
Asheville, NC 28802
(828) 252-8883
www.homewardboundwnc.org