Room in the Inn (RITI) began in 1986 under the leadership of a Catholic Priest, Father Charlie Strobel, in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 1996, the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, NC has been working with congregations of many faiths to open their facilities one night a week to provide shelter and food for the homeless during the winter months. Members of the Randolph County Housing Coalition went to Eden, NC, to examine their version of the program early in 2004, to see if RITI would be feasible for the Randolph County area. After the determination was made to use the model of “Room in the Inn” for Randolph County, Christians United Outreach Center stepped up to the plate and agreed to run the program. In July CUOC and Randolph County Housing Coalition (RCHC) began making plans to conduct meetings to determine if there was community support and interest for the RITI program. Two meetings were set up at Asheboro churches, one at First Presbyterian Church in July and one at First Baptist Church in August seeking local church congregation’s support. The result was overwhelming and as a result the program was implemented on a trail basis from October 18th, 2004 to April 2, 2005.

At the time the Room in the Inn program was initiated, Randolph County did not have a homeless shelter or programs to specifically address the needs of homeless individuals and families. Christians United Outreach Center has been able to place clients in a motel for a night or two with hopes they could “make a plan” to change their situation when appropriate howerver, in situations where persons require shelter for more than one or two nights, individuals and families have been sent to shelters in neighboring counties. In 2003 The Randolph County Housing Coalition conducted a point in time survey to determine what the homeless population was in Randolph County. Although the report was not conclusive, it was determined that an effort needed to be made to keep these individuals and families in our Randolph County where they could continue to be close to friends, family, and supportive services they may be receiving. Potential participants for RITI are individuals and families (parties of related persons) in Randolph County, who have lost their housing due to economic distress, families where one member has re-entered society post rehabilitative services, those who are homeless as a result of crisis due to death, abandonment or abuse by the head of household or a member of household, and those who have yet to be identified.

Room In The Inn is an efficient, affordable way to involve the faith community in helping our homeless neighbors. Congregations open their houses of worship, in a spirit of hospitality, to provide a safe and secure place for people to stay the night. The churches rotate every week except in situations where a church may want to extend their level of commitment. The program is a volunteer based effort utilizing volunteers to provide meals, laundry services, transportation, act as innkeepers (those assigned the duty to stay overnight with the “neighbors”), fellowship and housekeeping. Members of the Randolph County Housing Coalition rotate to provide security each night the “Inn” is providing shelter. This temporary shelter program is a way to bring alive the Biblical admonition to Love Thy Neighbor. In fact, we refer to the people we serve as our NEIGHBORS. In addition to the church volunteer efforts, staff from CUOC and professionals from other Human Services agencies volunteered to provide the intake needed for potential Room in the Inn participants every weekend for the 5-1/2 month trail period.

What was the result of all this unprecedented community collaboration? At the completion of the 5-1⁄2 month trial of the Room in the Inn program, the statistics far exceeded anything the staff at Christians United Outreach Center or the members of Randolph County Housing coalition imagined.

• 94 homeless individuals were interviewed for the RITI program
• 48 individuals participated in the RITI program for one or more nights
• 20 persons were accepted into the program but decided not to participate
• 20 persons were accepted into the program as a result of being displaced by a local police investigation but decided to stay elsewhere
• 2,024 meals were served to program participants (this does not include the meals provided to volunteers that stayed overnight with the neighbors)
• 995 beds were occupied over the 6 month period
• 3 program participants were provided cars in order to get to work after they got jobs
• 22 individuals were assisted with moving into their own place once income was in place to maintain a residence (23 if you count the baby that had not been born yet!)
• 18 Human Resource professionals volunteered two or more weekends each over the 5-1/2 months for client intake
• 7 Human Resource professionals carried a pager for emergencies for three or more weeks each
• 12 local church congregations hosted RITI participants at either their own church or at the house on Academy Street for one or more weeks and an additional 4 churches assisted with meals
• Over 4,000 hours were donated by over 400 volunteers

For the initial trail period there were no incidents that required police intervention and both volunteers and neighbors alike were blessed by what the program provided. Dr. Ann Suggs from West Bend United Methodist Church and a long standing board member with Sandhills Mental Health / Randolph County stated, “ RITI is a very worthwhile program. I am pleased by the way the community has come together and showed support.” Another volunteer, Tina Rumbley from New Life Family Fellowship, had this to say, “ RITI has been a blessing for my family. We volunteered to be a blessing to others but ended up being blessed.” Some of the RITI participants have become regular volunteers at Christians United Outreach Center because they had such a positive experience with the center and the RITI program.

"...thank you for Room In The Inn...that has got to be one of the best programs I have ever been involved with.  It has so much potential for the church to be a real new testament church.  We have thoroughly enjoyed building  relationships with the folks there.  We had one who asked Jesus to become his Savior a few weeks ago...that alone was worth every bit of time we have put into helping!!  Of course we have seen so many wonderful blessings come from helping  RITI that it really makes it hard not to share all of the wonderful things going on with the lives of the neighbors!   We know that the neighbor who accepted Christ did so, because we ( our church ) took the time to build a relationship with him...and to let him know that we cared about him.  Volunteering with RITI helped to show me how little I knew!!  God used it to just confirm to me my need to know more of Him...more than I can get at church 3 times a week..or in a Bible study ..or just spending time alone at home with God.  I want to be a better servant for Him...thus the schooling so that I can minister even more effectively.  We have built , what I hope are,  lasting friendships with the neighbors..and now former neighbors...thank you for the introduction!! "

-Tina Rumbley