LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two downtown Louisville churches are opening their doors to keep the city's homeless population warm overnight.
Room In the Inn provides beds and warm meals for homeless individuals at churches when it's too cold for them to sleep outside. The program started about 39 years ago in Nashville.
Christ Church Cathedral, on South 2nd Street, launched "Room in the Inn" in Louisville last winter. Christ Church Cathedral has 15 beds and has already started welcoming guests.
Starting Monday, Jan. 26, Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ will also open its doors to 10 people in need every night.
Guests arrive at 1612 Story Ave around 6 p.m. for dinner, some downtime and a safe place to sleep. They will also have breakfast before leaving around 6:30 a.m. with a bag of snacks for the day.
"That's part of the beauty of this Room In the Inn model," Reverend Erin Wathen, a pastor at Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ said. "It provides so much stability. It's not just about a place to sleep, although that is a critical need. When you've got some other of your basic needs met, like food for the day, you can really focus on other things."
These beds will be available through early March even when it's too warm for white flag shelter status in Louisville.
Wathen said the two churches are hoping to expand this program in the coming months. She also said it's taken a village of volunteers and other organizations to get this program up and running at her church.
For anyone interested in volunteering, email roomintheinnlouisville@gmail.com. You can also call Christ Church Cathedral at (502) 587-1354 or Grace Immanuel United Church of Christ at (502) 587-6190.
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