Imagine you’re part of a family and due to circumstances in or out of your control, you end up on the streets. You only can stay in public shelter for about 90 days and then you have to go back to a world of uncertainty. That is when The Road Home comes in.

The number of homeless families increased by 50 percent from 2005-2008, and that number has increased substantially since the recession began. When they can no longer live in government shelters, The Road Home comes in. The Road Home is an organization that started in Madison in 1999 as the Interfaith Hospitality Network, a network of churches and synagogues that offer temporary shelter to homeless families. They have since expanded to include transitional housing and permanent housing programs.

Rachel Krinsky, director of The Road Home, pointed out that not all families are the same when asked what a typical family’s time with The Road Home is like. There are single parents and there are families where the grandparent is taking care of grandchildren. She said a homeless family would call and the first thing they would find out is that they are full, along with every other shelter in town. They would be put on the waiting list and offered a case manager right away. That way some safe places for them to stay can be found, and the process of looking for housing and benefits can be started while they wait. Families would then sleep in a rotation of churches and synagogues. During the day they would be based in our office and day center where there is a living room, kitchen, showers and laundry.

There are two very important parts of this program that I think are outstanding. First, no matter where the churches or synagogues that are being used as housing that week are, the children still go to their schools. The parents go to their jobs if they have one, if not, they begin looking for jobs. Their days would go on like they did before, so there is that stability.

The other part that is the underpinning of The Road Home’s work is case management. They are trained professionals who have to work deeply and intimately with the families. They get to know them very well, and forming good long-term relationships are key.

“If you’re going to get way up into somebody’s business then that person is going to have to have trust in you,” Krinsky said. “You have to feel ok with a person in order to discuss those things with them and make any changes, or to tell people what you are needing or scared of.”

Case mangers have conversations about fiscal management, how people raise their children, and whether there might be alcohol, drug or mental health issues that might be preventing them from maintaining jobs and housing.

Families stay in the temporary shelters on average for two months, and almost every family leaves the shelters for housing. Their success rate is an outstanding 90 percent, and 85 percent of the families that go through The Road Home maintain housing for a year or longer.

You can volunteer in many ways. The best way to learn about how you can help is to take a “home for families” tour. There will be a tour from 10:30-11:00 on Nov. 17. Additional dates are listed on their website.

According to Krinsky, toiletries are badly needed.

“If you go to the grocery store and look in your cart, you look at every item that is not food, those are all things that you can’t buy with food stamps. So if you’re a low-income family that is trying to get by, you can usually get food but that is oftentimes a struggle as well,” Krinsky said. “You might not be able to buy diapers, toilet paper, or cleaning supplies when people do move into housing, and we are working hard with them to make sure rent comes first. That leaves very few dollars. Laundry detergent is a luxury if you don’t have money.”

Remember my hair for homeless drive is still going on. I will get my hair changed the week of Thanksgiving, but I need your help.

For each and all donated toiletry items, cleaning supplies, diapers or bedding you provide, you will get a vote on my next hairstyle. You can drop off your votes and donations in front of The Clarion office at Truax or the cosmetology office in the downstairs of the Downtown campus. Also remember to vote. (My vote is for silver fox.)