Opening The Church Doors Area Churches Pool Resources To House And Feed Homeless People In Round-Robin Hospitality Program

Jim and his boys can stretch out now without fear of kicking off the car’s emergency brake in a fit of bad dream.

Their three hot meals each day are home-cooked soul food, far from the beans over a campfire the family had come to expect.

Jim now has energy to pursue “the plan:” a stable home and school for James, 15, and Jacob, 8, college accounting classes for himself, and assurance he’ll never again be homeless.

After three weeks of living in a red 1980 Subaru GL-5 on Beacon Hill, Jim and his boys have found manna: the new Interfaith Hospitality Network of Spokane homeless shelter.

“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Jim, 45, who asked that his last name be withheld. “I don’t have to worry about running around town all day, looking for food, about starting a fire in the rain. I just concentrate on my plan.”

Almost two years of planning panned out for a dozen Spokane churches last week, as they opened the doors of Interfaith, an emergency shelter for families. By pooling resources, the churches of six different denominations can house and feed up to 14 people a week.

The shelter is a round-robin affair. The homeless bounce each week to a new church in the network, where they are welcomed as guests. Members of the host congregation cook, chat and sleep next to homeless families, living the model of Jesus Christ, they say.

“The verse that comes to mind is, whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me,” said Sister Ann Pizelo of St. pokane homeless shelters are using progressive technology to reduce demand for one of the most primitive needs: a warm, dry place to sleep.

The city’s dozen emergency housing centers plan to use the Internet and electronic mail to post vacancies and trade information about services, according to Bob Peeler, homeless coordinator for Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs.

“It’s time we use technology to enhance our services,” said Peeler.

The shelters already meet regularly to trade information and strategies. They recently published a booklet listing the city’s shelters, their addresses and guidelines for admittance - such as gender or children.

Better communication via e-mail will reduce the need for homeless to bounce from shelter to shelter, he said.

The coordination comes at just the right time, according to social service workers who call Spokane’s homeless problem a quiet and growing cancer.

The cause: wages have not kept pace with rising housing costs. A recent study found that 45 percent of Spokane’s work force makes less than $14,000 a year and 22 percent of the city’s children live in poverty. A single parent with two children receives $546 a month from public assistance.

The average two-bedroom apartment rents for $500 a month, according to the city’s fair housing index.

That gap has forced many onto the streets or in slum housing, they say. There are an estimated 3,000 homeless in Spokane. In 1995, 1,253 families were turned away from Spokane shelters.

Nationally, 40 percent of the homeless are parents with children, according to Karen Olsen, founder of the National Interfaith Hospitality Network, which has church-run homeless shelters in 42 cities.

When families are turned away, they often stay with friends or in their cars, said Debbie Emery, of the Salvation Army. There are several shelters separated by gender, including the men’s Union Gospel Mission and the women’s Ogden Hall.

But keeping families together is healthier for the children, said T.J. Sather, director of the new Interfaith Hospitality Network. “It’s been found if you can keep the family together, that keeps them more stable,” she said.

The 15 beds provided by Interfaith Hospitality Network of Spokane’s family shelter relieves some burden. But SNAP is shutting down a 17-unit hotel on North Division at the end of this month because of construction.

, DataTimes MEMO: These sidebars appeared with the story: HOMELESS, EMERGENCY SHELTERS AVAILABLE Ogden Hall, 2828 W. Mallon, 327-7737. For women with children, boys under 11 accepted. Open 24 hours. Union Gospel Mission, 1224 E. Trent, 535-8510. For adult males only, with no maximum length of stays. VOA-Crosswalk, 525 W. Second, 838-6596. For youth under 18. Classes and counseling available. St. Margaret’s, 624-9788. For women with children, boys under 11 accepted. Address confidential to protect guests. Salvation Army SAFE Center, 1403 W. Broadway, 325-6814. For families, including single parents with children. Couples must share last name or have a common biological child. SNAP Homeless Project, 2500 E. Sprague, 456-7106. For families, married or unmarried, with or without children. YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter, 829 W. Broadway, 326-CALL. For victims of domestic violence. Includes District 81’s school for homeless children. Shelter located off-site; address confidential to protect guests. CHAS-Sydney Project, 240 W. Sprague, 456-4657. For single men and women recovering from substance dependence. Source: City of Spokane Human Services office.

HOST CHURCHES Spokane congregations that have agreed to serve as host churches for the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Spokane: Prince of Peace Lutheran, 3909 W. Rowan, 325-5726 St. Mark’s Lutheran, 316 E. 24th, 747-6677 St. Mary’s Catholic, 304 S. Adams, 928-3210 Manito Presbyterian, 401 E. 30th, 838-3559 Whitworth Presbyterian, 212 E. Hawthorne, 466-0305 Spokane Valley Baptist, 1222 S. McDonald, 924-1234 Audubon Terrace Reorganized Later-day Saints, 4004 N. Belt, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 1503 W. Dean, 328-4841 Knox Presbyterian, 806 W. Knox, 328-7540 Manito United Methodist, 3220 S. Grand Blvd., 747-4755 First Church of the Nazarene, 9004 N. Country Homes Blvd., 467-8986 Beautiful Savior Lutheran, 4320 S. Conklin, 747-6806