Birmingham Hospitality Network (BHN) is a program that helps homeless
families in our area. Because many area shelters do not take men or older boys, this
leaves a gap for many homeless families.
BHN is comprised of 13 area congregations, including St.
Stephen's,
that rotate hosting these families from 5:30 pm until 7:00 am from Sunday evening until the
next Sunday morning. Southside Baptist Church allows the families to spend their
days at the church. School age children attend school. The BHN van brings the guests
to the host congregation each evening and picks them up the next morning. Because it is a 15
passenger van, there can never be more than 14 people in the Network. BHN supplies
cots for the guests to sleep on. These cots are transported to the host congregation
in the BHN trailer.
The BHN director is a licensed social worker and she screens
the candidates. The guests must sign an agreement that they must be actively seeking
employment and housing and they understand that they are subject to random drug
and alcohol testing.
Volunteer Opportunities:
-
Each evening (8:30 pm - 7:00 am)
a man and a woman from each congregation must
spend the night at the church with the guests. Bed time is 9:00 pm.
At St. Stephen's, we host in the
new Education Building on the second floor.
From 5:30 pm -8:30 pm,
dinner hosts serve dinner to the guests and help supervise
activities for the children after dinner. Dinner hosts may choose to just provide
food or come to help with the children. Often, a St. Stephen's small group (such as EYC or EFM) will
agree to host an evening or 2 or 3 families will host together. We have our meals
in the Education Building kitchen and the guests are required to help with clean
up. The guests eat with the Wednesday night meal that is prepared for the
whole church family, but there is still a need
for assisting with the families.
We always need donations of money or food to help with our food needs. The guest
must use leftovers or prepare sandwiches for their noon lunch. We always need lots
of bread and cold cuts. We need perishable food at the beginning of the week and
there is often a need for diapers and wipes.
We need someone with a truck with a trailer hitch to get the cot trailer from
the congregation that hosts the week before. The pick up is usually at 7:00 am the
Sunday morning before the guests arrive.
We need help with setting up the cots in the Education Building that Sunday morning.
We always welcome donations of games and family appropriate videos.
We accept sample size toiletries to give the guests. We are also in need of
gently
used or new towels and wash cloths.
Linen supervisor to wash and organize the linens after each host week.
If you have furniture to donate, Bessemer Methodist
Church has given BHN space to store
furniture so that guests who find permanent housing can "shop" for furniture they
need. Unfortunately, there is not a truck for pick up, so those donating must get
items to the church themselves.
|
Birmingham Hospitality Network
www.birminghamhospitalitynetwork.com
If
you are willing to help with meals
or spend the night the next time
we host at St. Stephen's ,
please contact Heidi
Johnston - samheidij@bellsouth.net
or 969-0284. |
