Imagine a shelter that is not overrun with occupants, a shelter where everyone is like family. Children are not exposed to drugs. Instead, they come “home” each night to a hot meal and do their homework. Imagine a shelter so safe and inviting that it’s literally located inside a church.

Imagine this place, and discover the Capital Interfaith Hospitality Network (CIHN.) This network of nine congregations has banded together and is committed to providing shelter and hot meals for a few homeless families in need every evening from about 6:30 pm until early the next morning.

The shelter moves from church to church every couple of months and sometimes every few weeks (a schedule is set up a year in advance), usually occupying extra Sunday school rooms, a multi-purpose room or a church basement. Currently there are three families in the network, and new families come and go every few months.

Besides providing shelter on a rotating basis, churches contribute what they can: sometimes it’s a bed or television for the traveling shelter, sometimes it’s a hot meal, and sometimes it’s a volunteer visiting the families.

CIHN follows the national model of Family Promise, which began as the National Interfaith Hospitality Network in 1989, founded on the idea that “Americans are compassionate people who want to make a difference.”

“It’s about making a connection with another human being,” said CIHN Director Julie Murphy, the organization’s sole paid administrative staffer.

With a small office located near Tenleytown, CIHN has been around for eight years, but with a budget of less than $100,000, it remains fairly obscure. Although it does not yet have a website, one is in the works and should be operational soon.

Hot meals are brought in every evening by volunteers—sometimes retirees, sometimes families, and sometimes single, young adults. They may stay and eat dinner with the families they are serving, and they may even play with their children.

“I try to tell volunteers to be understanding, and to enter the experience without any expectations. Sometimes people are tired, or not gracious. Sometimes they don’t want to say thank you 1,000 times over,” Murphy said. “It’s about being as open as possible, and changing your expectations. Providing meals each evening for these families is what it is, and the truth is, it’s wonderful, and they are grateful and appreciative.”

CIHN also has a 12-person board of directors, including one representative from each congregation involved: Church of the Annunciation, Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, Business and Professional Women of Chevy Chase, Church of the Pilgrim, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Machar Congregation (a Jewish organization), Metropolitan Memorial Methodist, National Presbyterian, and St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church.

Murphy said that “sometimes I have two to three calls a week, sometimes two to three a day, from people who need assistance. I don’t know how they hear about us. I wish that we could take them directly, but we can’t.”

Rather, the process begins at the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, the central clearinghouse for all homeless families throughout the District, which is run by the city. Virginia Williams refers potential clients to a variety of places, including the Capitol Hill Group Ministry (CHGM). With about 25 member congregations, CHGM is involved in a broad scope of projects (providing shelter, emergency assistance, job training, and food), and CIHN is one of a few shelters to which it sends people. CHGM will also write up a full medical and family history on potential clients during the screening process and remain in regular touch with CIHN, although it keeps all social work issues confidential.

CIHN does have strict guidelines on curfews, and no drugs, alcohol, or guests are allowed. Murphy said that everyone is not always willing or able to adhere to the rules.

“There are times, and there are tensions. Getting back on your feet is hard,” Murphy said. “There are times when people are not happy, but I’m in constant touch with the social worker at CHGM. We all want this to be a good thing for everybody.”

Currently, the shelter is located at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Chevy Chase. It will soon be moving, but not before one of CIHN’s occupants and her 5-year-old daughter get the chance to move into their own apartment this month. After eight months with the network, this single mother has graduated from culinary school and is back on her feet.

For more information about CIHN, contact Julie Murphy at (202) 363-5198 or via email at juliecihn@verizon.net.