Tulips adorned the tables as a reminder that the season for Room In The Inn (RITI) was over. Since 1996, RITI has provided temporary shelter for the homeless, bringing them indoors to a welcoming environment during the toughest months of the year, December – March. But spring has sprung and Sunday, April 1^st, marked a celebration and thank you to the teams who make it happen.

RITI Director Paul Hanneman provided the thank you’s and shared the impact of this year’s program. 135 congregations/Y’s/colleges provided 18,105 overnight accommodations to 1,588 different individuals. This year brought an increase in families, with the number of children more than doubling from the previous season (from 29 to 62).

Stories and laughs were shared, but what struck me was the extra efforts the coordinating teams make to provide shelter. These coordinating teams come to the Urban Ministry Center to verify eligibility, and match 100-200 people with a host site for the night. If a host site falls through, it’s not “sorry about your luck,” it’s “let’s take action to help these people.” A great example was provided by the Coordinator and Assigner for the Saturday team (pictured below: Bruce Bauman, Coordinator; Paul Hanneman, RITI Director; Geoff McLaughlin, Assigner).

One Saturday there were 12 men who were assigned to a host site that was unable to fulfill its commitment that evening. The team jumped into action, finding two other sites to help the men. The Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter rarely turns away a request, and agreed to host 3 additional men that evening. University United Methodist, although they were not scheduled to host at all that evening, agreed to take 7 men. Team members Sandra Ward and Phil Reed drove the men to the sites. Mr. Reed purchased dinner for the 7 and spent the night with them. We cannot thank our volunteers enough for routinely reaching out and helping our neighbors.

RITI remains an awesome undertaking, enlisting over 5,000 volunteers each season to provide a warm, safe place, delicious meals, and wonderful fellowship to people who are struggling to find their way. Our thanks to everyone who makes this so successful!