Who Helps Us

Who helps us? Our program staff are assisted in their work by literally hundreds of people each year. Our unique network of volunteers comes first from our congregations, but also includes many individuals who donate their time through service on our Advisory Board, our Charter Board, and our House Committee. Not a day goes by when multiple volunteers are not putting their time and talent to work for IHN. We are also the grateful recipient of donations from many generous corporations, foundations, and individuals who fund our operations. We hope that you will join these congregations, organizations, and individuals in helping provide a safe and loving home for our families.

Westborough Police Union helping put together a playground that was donated by an employee of Wayfair.

Westborough Police Union helping put together a playground that was donated by an employee of Wayfair.

Our volunteers provide IHN with tremendous value. It would cost $1,425 a week or $74,100 a year to pay additional staff if we did not have volunteers.

CONGREGATIONS

 

In the Hour of Need Family Shelter (IHN) partners with the religious community in a unique joint mission to serve and nurture families who are experiencing homelessness in the greater Worcester area. Volunteers from 26 congregations rally together to give of their time and interest. They provide 100 hours of evening and overnight program coverage each week, seven days a week. In addition, donations such as food, and grocery gift cards, general household, and personal supplies support the ongoing functioning of the IHN program.

Volunteer coordinators from each congregation are responsible for recruiting, scheduling and overseeing the volunteers and coordination of services at the house from 5:30 PM to 6:30 AM and until 8:30 am on Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers may dine with the families and stay during the evening to socialize, plan activities for the children, tutor children in need and provide caring, compassionate support to parents and children. One or two volunteers are recruited to stay overnight with the guests and sleep on cots located in the Director’s office.

Our congregations are the lifeblood of our organization. They help fund our operations, provide volunteers for our essential work, and serve as our advocates in the community. We are incredibly grateful for the support they provide, and we invite you to learn more about how your congregation can become part of our network.

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Our families stay with IHN for an average of 6-9 months, although the time in shelter has been increasing due to a lack of affordable housing in the area.

Community partnerships

 

IHN thrives because of our partnerships with community organizations. We refer families to the Family Health Center of Worcester for basic care needs (i.e., medical care, dental care, and mental health), Worcester Family Partnership for educational purposes through Worcester Public Schools, and DTA Connect for nutritional and diet information, among many other community partners.
Foundations and businesses throughout Worcester County have supported our work through funding, volunteer hours, and in-kind donations. We are grateful for recent contributions from the The Nash Family Foundation, the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, and New England Foundation Crack Repair.


Volunteers

 

Most of our volunteer hours come through our congregations. However, we welcome volunteers from the community, and we have plenty of work for you to do! We maintain an on-call list of volunteers who are available to cover weekend, evening, and overnight shifts if a congregation volunteer can’t make their scheduled hours.

We always need individuals and groups who can undertake cleaning, organizing, and repair work at the house. Your staff or youth group might help us with a spring cleaning, a yard work project, painting and light handiwork, and more. Finally, volunteers also can organize their own fundraising events within their organizations or offices: musical performances, raffles, contests, and more.

If you would like to volunteer your time and talent at the house, contact our Program Director Sheri Linn; if you’d like to organize a fundraiser, contact our Development Director Lauren Aquino.