Pre-History

In 1984, Faith Church of the Nazarene, a small congregation, which gathered in a large Victorian home in Hingham, MA, responded to a plea to provide shelter for homeless families separate from the individuals. Faith Church had already been working with the families placed in area motels and others living in a nearby park. They had even sheltered a local businessman who had been living in the back room of his store. Soon the house at 258 Rockland Street that already served as parish house, parsonage, and sanctuary also housed Hingham Interfaith Shelter, a shelter for homeless families.

Unfortunately, the burgeoning number of displaced families outpaced shelter availability. During the next few years, while two additional family shelters opened in our area, homeless families were still overflowing into local hotels.

Hingham Interfaith continued its mission, sheltering one or two families at a time in a unique home setting. Often Hingham Interfaith would deal with intact families, families with older children, larger families, and others that were hard to place.

Faith Church tailored its efforts to meet the needs of the families they served in the shelters and motels. As a result, we started a Food Pantry, Clothes Closet, and Furniture Bank. We visited families in the parks and motels and provided transportation, use of our phones, and advocacy services. A weekly meal and special events were sponsored to bring homeless families into the community. Friends of the Homeless volunteers and donors (individuals, churches, and civic groups) provided food, clothing, shelter, and met a host of other needs as the program evolved.