ABOUT US

ANY FAMILY CAN MEET WITH HARDSHIPS CAUSING loss of income, health, and home. When these crises present themselves, a community shares hospitality and transitional assistance with families facing temporary homelessness. The Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network (SIHN) provides a structured path toward self-sufficiency, consistent income, and stable housing. Seacoast IHN relies on hundreds of community volunteers from different faiths. Our mission is to meet the food and shelter needs of guest families while preserving their dignity and privacy. Families with children under 18 years old are admitted to the Seacoast IHN program following an interview process. A family counselor designs a custom goal-oriented plan with the family that defines steps to regain self-sufficiency and secure housing. Until that plan is fully executed, usually 8-12 weeks, guest families receive compassion and encouragement from our volunteers.

Local faith-based institutions open their facilities to serve meals, provide private sleeping arrangements, and distribute personal necessities to up to 14 guests at a time. Professional staff operate the Day Center by day where families receive information and advocacy to services including public housing, employment, training, and education. The Center also provides a kitchen, children’s play area, computers, and telephones.

A typical day in the network begins early at the host congregation where families pack lunch, have breakfast and board the agency van or drive themselves to the Day Center, school, work, or training programs. In the evening, guest families return to the host congregation for the evening meal, followed by playing, sharing, and doing homework. Each family then retires to private quarters for the night.

The community rallies to empower and encourage families to become independent and to maintain that independence after leaving the network.