1. Informational Meeting July 28, 2013

2. What is Room at the Inn?
Room at the Inn is a temporary shelter for homeless families and single women.
One of only three emergency shelter providers in St. Louis County
Room at the Inn serves about 200 families each year by providing:
Safe, clean housing for families and their possessions
Clothing and personal items if needed
Case management
Physical and mental health screenings
Life skills classes
Housing replacement assistance
A caring environment in which to regroup and begin again

3. How does this work?
Room at the Inn is a ministry of Sisters of Divine Providence, a 501(c)(3) agency incorporated in Missouri
The “day site” for Room at the Inn is located in Bridgeton
Room at the Inn’s model is to partner with local congregations (“night sites”) to provide lodging, as well as evening and morning meals
There are about 60 night site partners
Most of these congregations participate one night each month
This allows many congregations to interact with homeless families and learn their stories
Some congregations take two nights per month

4. What is Living Word’s Role?
Living Word is a night site on the second Thursday of each month
We host up to 10 people and provide:
Transportation from the Room at the Inn site in Bridgeton to Living Word
Dinner that evening
Hospitality and fellowship prior to sleeping over night
Breakfast the next morning
Transportation from Living Word back to the day site in Bridgeton

5. What costs are there?
On-going costs include food, transportation, toiletries, and laundering expenses
Volunteers provide these at their own expense as personal ministry
However, church resources can be used for such tasks as laundering linens, cooking, and driving

6. Who is served by Room at the Inn?
All clients are homeless
About one half children
About one quarter single mothers of these children
About one quarter other single women
Occasionally, other homeless persons
Married couples with or without children
Single men with children
Single homeless men do not participate, but are referred to other service agencies for men
All are very poor
Most have no job, no car, no health insurance, no family that can or will help them
Because Room at the Inn is emergency/transitional only, clients can stay with the program for up to 45 days

7. More about the clients
The maximum number of clients that Living Word can have at one time is ten
Room at the Inn serves a maximum of twenty persons each night – split between two night sites
When do we know how many guests we will have?
Room at the Inn communicates to us by 3:00 p.m. how many we will have and their ages
This information will be forwarded to volunteers
Where do they eat and sleep?
Meals are in Fellowship Hall
Lodging is in the Chapel and Room 211/212

8. What about the rest of the day?
Adults work with social workers at the day site
Case management services
To help identify and correct the causes of their homelessness
Physical and mental health evaluations
Domestic abuse counseling
Debt management services
Telephone, computer, and Internet access
Transportation to/from appropriate agencies/services
Housing placement assistance
Shower, laundry, and kitchen facilities
School-age children are transported from the day site to school
Lunch is provided at the day site for adults and preschool children

9. What does a typical stay look like?
5:00 p.m. Drivers pick up clients at day site in Bridgeton
6:00 p.m. Arrival at Living Word
6:15 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Fellowship and activities
9:00 p.m. Children in bed and quiet
10:00 p.m. Adults in bed and lights out
5:20 a.m. Lights on
5:45 a.m. Breakfast
6:15 a.m. Departure from Living Word
7:00 a.m. Drivers drop off clients at day site

10. How can I serve? Evening driver Cook dinner
Set-up beds and greet guests
Serve dinner
Host (spend evening time with families)
Innkeeper (stay overnight with families)
Provide breakfast
Launder linens
Clean-up
Morning driver

11. Drivers
Drivers must be 21 years of age, have a current driver’s license, and car insurance.
Drivers must pick up clients at the Bridgeton Room at the Inn facility by 5:00 p.m. (leaving Living Word around 4:15 p.m.).
Drivers will pick up a large plastic tote which contains a Med Pack and Information Binder.
Car seats will be provided for each parent with children under 8 years old, 80 lbs or less. Parents are responsible for putting the child in the car seat.
Drivers are responsible for returning families to the Room at the Inn facility in Bridgeton by 7:00am the next morning (depart by 6:15 a.m.)
The large church bus can only be used by authorized drivers with a chauffer’s license. The smaller T-Top bus can be used by anyone, although there is a short training before being allowed to use it.

12. Set-up and greet Arrive around 5:00 p.m. Remove resources from storage
Fold up tables/stack chairs in Room 211/212
Stack chairs in chapel (Room 209)
Set up mattresses in the chapel, 211/212, the library for guests and innkeepers
Make beds and lay out towels/toiletries
Welcome guests as they arrive at Living Word
Show guests where they will sleep, bathe, recreate, and eat
Explain evacuation plan in case of emergency
Escort guests to dinner
You may stay and eat with the clients if you choose

13. DINNER Cooks Prepare dinner for up to 20 guests and volunteers
Cooking may be done at your home and brought to church by 5:45 p.m.
You may also use the church kitchen to prepare the meal
Dinners should include salad, protein dish, vegetable, and dessert
If you use the church kitchen, you are also responsible to clean up the kitchen when you are finished
Cooks can stay to help as a server if they choose
It is OK for cooks to simply drop off the meal they have prepared

14. Breakfast preparers
Provide breakfast for up to 12 guests and volunteers
Breakfast can be fruit, juices, cereal, bagels, pastries, milk, which can be stored in kitchen refrigerator the night before
A hot breakfast is NOT required – most clients eat a very light breakfast
Breakfast needs to be ready by 5:45 a.m.
You can bring breakfast on Friday morning, or drop it off on Thursday night

15. SERVERS Arrive around 5:00 p.m. Set tables for dinner
Set out buffet line
Help serve and carry food for families with very small children
Wait tables and provide drinks, etc.
Sitting down to eat dinner with the clients is encouraged!
Clear tables, wash any dishes used, return food to storage containers
Set up tables for next morning’s breakfast

16. Hosts Arrive at 6:00 to meet and have dinner with guests
Just spend time with the guests!
Games, playground, conversation
Board games provided – or bring your own!
Young children can utilize the ECC play room (112)
Older children can utilize the youth room
Some adults have had a long difficult day, and prefer to simply read or have quiet time
Client parents are responsible for care of their own children at all times
Showers are available if clients want them (there are also facilities at the day site)
Be aware that guests may want to retire early as they have to awake at 5:30am the next morning
Children are welcome to serve with parents as hosts!
Client children often enjoy playing with host children

17. InnKeepers Arrive by 8:00 p.m. Spend the night with the guests
Review the binder in the plastic tote brought by the driver. This will contain guest information and any important medical needs of the guests.
At 8:45 announce that children need to be in bed in 15 minutes
At 9:45 announce lights out in 15 minutes (lights out policy for adults is 10:00pm)
Set alarm for 5:20am
You do not sleep in the same room as the guests, but they need to know where to find you in case of emergency. You need a cell phone which is turned on during the night.
When the alarm goes off, turn on lights in the sleeping rooms and let the guests know what time it is.
Direct guests to remove all linens and place in a laundry bag
Unlock front doors for any volunteers who are arriving to serve breakfast
If breakfast was dropped off the night before, set it out
Gina Timme, the Night Site Coordinator is available 24 hours a day at If any kind of issue arises and you are unsure how to handle it, call Gina at any time.

18. Launderers
Pick up bed linens Friday morning between 6:15 and 6:45 a.m.
Towels and linens should have been removed and gathered by guests
Launder all sheets, pillowcases, blankets, mattress pads, towels and washcloths
This can be done at your home, or using the washer/dryer in the church kitchen
Towels, linens, and blankets must be laundered after each use.
Return items to storage at Living Word within one week

19. Clean-up Arrive around 6:15 a.m. on Friday morning
Clean up the dining area after breakfast
Take out food trash from Fellowship Hall and Kitchen to dumpster behind kitchen
Return mattresses to storage
Return any games/toys to storage
Set up tables/chairs in Room 211/212
Set up chairs in the chapel
Generally ensure facility is back in order once guests have left the building
Cleanup is usually over by 7:00 a.m.

20. MORE VOLUNTEER INFO How do I sign up? How will I know if I am needed?
Go to and click on the Room at the Inn tab
How will I know if I am needed?
Pastor Greg will maintain a 4-month serving schedule, and distribute it to volunteers on the first of each month. You will also be ed one week before you are scheduled to serve as a reminder.
If I sign up, do I have to serve every month?
No – you can volunteer as often or as little as you like
How frequently you are called on to serve will depend on how many volunteers we have participating in each role!
Will I ever be asked to serve at another night site?
No – each night site arranges its own volunteers
Can I invite non-Living Word people to participate?
Yes! But recognize that some roles require Good Shepherd certification (next slide).

21. What about Good Shepherd?
Good Shepherd is Living Word’s program to keep children, youth, and vulnerable adults safe
These Room at the Inn roles DO require Good Shepherd certification:
Drivers
Innkeepers
Adult Hosts
Servers
Set-up and Greet
These Room at the Inn roles do NOT require Good Shepherd certification:
Dinner/Breakfast Cooks
Launderers
Clean-up
IMPORTANT – ALL adult volunteers must sign a Room at the Inn Confidentiality Statement
To become Good Shepherd certified, go to

22. Should I be concerned about safety?
All clients are referrals from the Housing Resource Center, which screens for eligibility
Fighting, verbal aggression, possession of illegal drugs, alcohol, firearms or weapons, and continued argumentation are all ground for immediate dismissal from the program
Church doors remain locked overnight
If a client’s behavior is not in line with expectations, the Night Site Coordinator should be called immediately