Homelessness is not a condition that happens overnight. It is a process, which often starts with personal rejection and moves to depression and withdrawal. There are no quick solutions and the way back is often littered with starts and stops. But the first step is clean, safe, affordable housing and that is the basic block on which Inn Dwelling builds its continuum of programs.

An independent, 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization, Inn Dwelling stabilizes and guides families toward increasing self-sufficiency by providing transitional housing and life skills. It helps homeless families eventually become stable homeowners, taxpayers and strong community members.

Inn Dwelling is unique among transitional housing programs because it places families in single family houses they can rent for nominal sums. The program has purchased 25 houses in Germantown, which they rehabbed using donated labor from 43 volunteers. Inn Dwelling renovates houses for about $12,000 per home, one-tenth the cost of most government or private rehabilitation efforts. The tenants are mostly women, single parents with several children, who are homeless in many non-traditional senses. They come out of difficult situations and are often living in crowded, cramped conditions with friends or relatives. Inn Dwelling's houses represent an estimated 10 percent of the city's long-term transitional housing units available in Philadelphia.

"Our volunteers do most of the work," says Brother Al Smith, Inn Dwelling's founder and director. "We have never borrowed any money to buy or renovate houses. We want to give people a chance, we don't want them to be dependent for the rest of their lives."

A secondary goal of Inn Dwelling is to rebuild Germantown's decaying neighborhoods. "We buy and renovate houses within a couple blocks of each other," says Brother Al. "We believe in the importance of neighborhoods and you need homeowners to bring a neighborhood back."

All available data show that families suffering an episode of homelessness need approximately 24 months of post-shelter follow up and support. Inn Dwelling allows each family up to three years residence in one of its homes. Because homelessness is the final symptom, not the underlying problem, Inn Dwelling also addresses a range of issues during the three-year period to equip families for the transition to permanent housing.

It takes more than a house to make a home

Inn Dwelling participants access an impressive array of programs and classes designed to foster independence. Some have been so successful they have been opened to other local residents. They include vocational training, GED courses, debt management seminars, parenting seminars, and after school day care.

Participants help design and manage the program, serve on its Advisory Council, and contribute individual skills where appropriate. Inn Dwelling relies on donations from the community and has a solid track record of attracting foundation funding. It manages 25 properties and a host of social service programs with one unpaid director, one administrator and scores of volunteers. While it receives in-kind donations of materials and household goods, much has to be purchased. All of this is accomplished on a budget of about $200,000 a year.

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