NORTH TEXAS – The Irving Inclement Weather Shelter offers more than a warm meal and a place to sleep. Volunteers spend time with guests, help with laundry, and play games.
“We use a term called radical hospitality. The biggest thing we want our guests to feel is loved and embraced,” said Stephen Allen, executive director of Life Change Housing Associates.
Four years ago, Christ Church Irving donated a 12,000-square-foot building to Life Change Housing Associates to create this shelter. It’s almost entirely funded by private donations from neighbors and organizations.
“We don’t have a kitchen here, so everything that we eat here is brought in,” said Allen.
The shelter is always in need of businesses and organizations willing to sponsor a meal. The shelter will be open through Jan. 11.
“Just giving them a place where they can get out of the weather, a warm, safe place where they can just crash and sleep—you can’t get a good night’s sleep on the streets,” said Allen.