With triple-digit temperatures lingering in North Texas all week this week, the faith community is coming together to bring the homeless out of the heat.
It's called Room In The Inn, and it's coordinated by the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Fort Worth.
"During the hottest and coldest times of the year, local churches will host homeless individuals for a night stay at their particular location," says Toby Owen, CEO of Presbyterian Night Shelter.
Partnering churches provide a home-cooked meal, fellowship, an overnight place to sleep and breakfast the following morning.
"It's designed to help ease the burden for the homeless shelters, particularly during the hottest and coldest times of the year," says Owen, "so that a group of individuals that are homeless have the opportunity to stay at a local congregation to get out of the hot and the cold elements depending on the time of the year."
Room In The Inn has been running since 2007, but it had to pause the mission in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It'll go through July, August and probably September," Owen says. "And then it will take a break, and it will start again during the coldest time of the year, which tends to be December, January and February."
Owen says the demand is greatest during the summer months.
"In wintertime in Texas, you have just sporadic times before it's cold," Owen notes. "But during the summer, it is hot for a very long time, so our numbers definitely increase during the summertime."
While churches provide the space, community and church members volunteer their time to carry out the mission.
"This is a very tangible way that the faith community can help those that are homeless," says Owen.
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