Found House
One lost job, one missed paycheck, one medical crisis. So many of our neighbors are living paycheck to paycheck, and are one-step away from losing their housing. Some of the challenges facing housing insecure families include lack of habitable, affordable housing, stable employment, reliable childcare, and rising costs. Due to the affordable housing crisis, many families are spending 50-80% of their income on housing and utility expenses, leaving very little to cover other basic expenses or emergencies.
Found House Interfaith Housing Network’s mission is to provide shelter, housing, and support to families experiencing housing insecurity and to strengthen those services through interfaith and community partnerships. Found House IHN changed their name last year, so many of you may know them as Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati.
- First to accept entire families including men and older boys,
- First to accept couples with no children,
- First to accept pets.
Found House partners with over 100 local interfaith congregations, who not only provide overnight housing and meals for families in Emergency Shelter, but also provide Found House with financial and in-kind support to benefit newly housed families including household items, clothing, and gift cards. These supports are invaluable for families starting out in their new homes.
All FHIHN programs take a holistic, family-centered, and community based approach to move families out of homelessness rapidly, while helping them retain their housing and achieve success in the long-term.
- Aftercare – provides extended case management & support for families after graduating from a FHIHN program acting as a safety-net when facing temporary setbacks that could jeopardize their housing.
- Child Enrichment (CEP) – helps children in FHIHN shelter stay on track through structured play/activities provided in a safe, pro-social environment, regular homework help & developmental screenings.
- Emergency Shelter – combines community-support with professional services to provide shelter to families experiencing loss of housing. This includes emergency overnight shelter, three meals per day, developing a case plan, and ongoing services.
- KEYS – focuses on services for pregnant/parenting youths (18-24 yrs. old).
- Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) – places families with a member with a disability directly from shelter into scattered site housing providing on-going rental support & intensive case management;
- Pet Support – provides temporary on-site/foster home care for pets while the family works to find affordable, pet-friendly housing.
- Rapid Re-housing (RRH) – quickly links families to housing, providing case management services & assistance with deposit, rent & utilities for a limited timeframe while families stabilize.
- Shelter Diversion – helps housing insecure families avoid shelter stays by providing case management services, housing placements & on-going resource connections.
- Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-housing (TH/RRH) – provides services focused on families with young children/expecting parents.
January, 2023 we opened the newly constructing Melrose Place, which provides 26 new affordable, pet-friendly apartments. These units are part of our successful PSH program using a site-based format.
Last year, Found House provided shelter, housing, and aftercare services to over 375 families comprised of 1,270 individuals of which 767 were children. They also provided shelter or resources to over 170 pets.
Your donations, will benefit Found House IHN’s families receiving services in Emergency Shelter, housing, and aftercare programs. Your donations will provide families with basic needs, like groceries for their family, bus passes, gas for their car, and food for their pets.
Thank you so much for your generosity.
For more information go to www.foundhouse.org
How you can help
Annual Conference has asked Found House what items are most needed to support the families they serve. This is what they need:
- Gift cards to Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Target – $25 denominations work best for our distribution
- Laundry detergents pods
- Cleaning supplies
- Disinfecting wipes
- Disinfectant spray
- Windex
- Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- Air Freshener
- Hand Soap
- Dish Detergent
- Bottled water
- Cans of soup
- Juice boxes
- Paper towels
- Toilet Paper
- Breakfast bars
- Cereal
- Pop Tarts
- Snacks – single serving size
- Fruit snacks
- Granola Bars
- Chips
- Mac n Cheese cupsPeanut butter/cheese crackers
- Wet or Dry Dog food
- Wet or Dry Cat food
- Dog Treats
- Cat Carriers
- Dog Leashes
Donations of items and checks may be brought to the Annual Conference onsite office (Elm Street Coat Check) from July 3-7 or brought to worship and placed in the designated area in front of the stage on Thursday, July 6.