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December 23, 2005
Christmas at Chattanooga Room in the Inn
James Phillips and his mother Sarah Phillips stand with Jennifer Bell. They were so happy to see gifts brought to their community. They are currently living at the Chattanooga Room in the Inn, a shelter for homeless women and children.
Yesterday, my son Jackson and I delivered about thirty "Christmas" toys (donated by the Greater Chattanooga Democratic Women's Club) to Chattanooga Room in the Inn. The pleasant Executive Director Erin Creal accepted the holiday gifts. She also gave us a tour of the residence. We were impressed with the comfort and security.
I believe it is important for my son to participate in helping others, and especially during the holidays when loneliness for an elderly person or someone down on their luck can be so difficult. I want my son to understand that so many people are vulnerable these days, whether low-income or middle-class Americans. Many Americans are only a sudden injury, a terrible disease, or a pink slip away from being in great debt and eventually homeless. Homelessness can happen quickly~witness Katrina survivors.
A "room in the inn" of course alludes to the Gospel story about Mary, Joseph and infant Jesus finding "no room . . . in the inn." As the Gospel story goes, the family of Christ must lodge in a stable. No matter your religious background, the Christmas story has universal appeal since it captures the human dignity of a family seeking shelter only to be thrown into the disturbing difficulty of homelessness.
That's exactly what homeless women and homeless women with children are seeking: Independence. But independence can only be built if there is "room in the inn," a place to provide shelter, meals, affordable healthcare, training in life skills, and assistance in finding permanent housing. Those are the goals of Chattanooga Room in the Inn. Tragically, an increasing number of people who are homeless are women and children, and this group is the fastest growing sector. For a fuller understanding of this exploding problem, take a look at Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women by Elliot Liebow. Liebow says in the introduction of his book: Most homeless women are engaged in an unremitting struggle to remain human in the face of inhuman conditions. Liebow goes on to say that for every woman in a shelter, there are most likely 10 to 20 who are still homeless.
That's why Chattanooga Room in the Inn opened its doors to homeless women and women with children in 1992. Actually the shelter started in 1988 with volunteers from seven area churches forming this nonprofit organization, enlisting the help of community resources and government agencies. So before opening its own residence in 1992, Chattanooga Room in the Inn relied on different churches to shelter women and children. Room in the Inn has provided services to over 3300 homeless women and children since its inception.
| By wjbailes | 07:46 AM
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