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Making Room for a New Start

Making Room for a New Start

These keys represent the individuals and families who have moved from RITI into housing since 2021. While we celebrate these big moves, RITI's...

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Making Room to Play

Making Room to Play

The need for shelter is serious business, and trying to meet the needs of hundreds of people seeking help for this basic necessity is hard work. As...

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Making Room to Welcome

Making Room to Welcome

We have a special word for the type of welcome we want to offer and experience at RITI:  “Holy Hospitality” Hospitality is more than an invitation,...

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Making Room to Bloom

Making Room to Bloom

This month we explore what it means to be "Make Room to Bloom" by reflecting our 3rd Annual "INN BLOOM: CELEBRATION OF NEW BEGINNINGS" held last...

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Making Room to Serve

Making Room to Serve

Happy Volunteer Appreciation Month! - Terri Dulaney, Volunteer Coordinator I have the best job! I get to spend my days planning and working...

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Making Room to Flourish

Making Room to Flourish

RITI Makes Room through Creative Expression & ActivitiesBy Sofia Freed, RITI Creative Assistant Intern The art class was not the place to come...

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Making Room for Love

Making Room for Love

Take a moment to watch this special Valentine's Day greeting from Room in the Inn - Memphis! We are so grateful for the community we are building...

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Making Room in 2024

Making Room in 2024

A new year brings a new focus to our monthly updates. Last year, we took a deep dive into RITI’s core values. This year, we’ll explore all the ways...

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Be the Light

Be the Light

RITI is so often a last resort for guests seeking shelter who have exhausted all available resources. You can be the light at the end of that tunnel...

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Some Gifts Cannot Be Wrapped

Some Gifts Cannot Be Wrapped

Dear Friends of Room in the Inn-Memphis, The holidays bring with them a time to reflect with so much gratitude. Another year of serving those...

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RITI Begins 15th Year

RITI Begins 15th Year

November is a special time at Room in the Inn. It’s the beginning of our Congregational Winter Shelter program, which started it all. This is a...

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In a Safe Environment

In a Safe Environment

This month concludes our walk through RITI’s Core Values. A few things we’ve learned about creating a “safe environment” for and with people...

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And Hospitality

And Hospitality

The Mystery of Hospitality   In the preface of her book, Making Room, Christine Pohl shares: “A mystery of hospitality is how often one senses...

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Giving Hope

Giving Hope

ROOM IN THE INN - MEMPHIS, Core Values: Building Community on Love & Respect Welcoming All as an Expression of Faith Giving Hope and Hospitality...

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Remembering Bradley Winchester

Remembering Bradley Winchester

We mourn the loss of Brad Winchester, who has been a RITI guest for the past twelve years.   We have had the honor of accompanying Brad through...

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Welcoming All

Welcoming All

"Welcoming All as an Expression of Faith"   We're still exploring RITI's Core Values with you here each month, and it's appropriate that we...

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And Respect

And Respect

R-E-S-P-E-C-T   As we continue our exploration of RITI’s core values, let’s talk about RESPECT. What does respect look like at Room in the Inn...

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Remembering Harold Wilson

Remembering Harold Wilson

Today we said goodbye and gave thanks for the life of Harold Wilson. Harold was a RITI guest and daily presence in our lives for many years. A...

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On Love

On Love

WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE AT RITI? As we continue our exploration of RITI’s Core Values, January focused on “Building Community” and February...

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Building Community

Building Community

Happy New Year! This year our newsletters will walk through RITI’s Core Values and take time each month to highlight why each is important to who we...

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Giving Health and Healing

Giving Health and Healing

Inn Crowd, We Love You! Dear Inn Crowd, We all love to belong to groups that make us feel valued and of use in a world that has so many needs. I am...

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Gratitude & Memorials

Gratitude & Memorials

We Remember Them... We started this month of gratitude on All Saints Day by dedicating our Guest Memorial Wall. A permanent installation remembers...

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Monthly Donors Give Growth

Monthly Donors Give Growth

There is a door frame in my grandparents’ house marking my height from ages 3 to 15. Lines etched deeply with Poppy’s pencil, an annual tradition on...

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Winter Shelter Hosts Needed

Winter Shelter Hosts Needed

Congregational Shelter Hosts Create Spaces of Life Saving Shelter   I am getting so excited about a new season of Winter Shelter for our...

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Community Engagement

Community Engagement

Community Engagement staff give sustainability and support So, you’ve heard about RITI’s three shelter programs - Congregational Shelter, Family...

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Children in the Inn

Children in the Inn

CITI Camp Finally at Home! For twelve years, RITI has sheltered people experiencing homelessness in Memphis, and children have always been among the...

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Recuperative Care Center

Recuperative Care Center

Welcome to RITI's Recuperative Care Center!   Have you ever wondered what happens to someone experiencing homelessness who is released from the...

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Affordable Housing?

Affordable Housing?

The only solution to homelessness is housing.   View the presentation to learn more about the issues RITI guests face with locating and...

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Volunteer Appreciation Month

Volunteer Appreciation Month

We Love Volunteers! A note from our Volunteer Coordinator and highlights from April's INN SIGHT newsletter. April is Volunteer Appreciation Month,...

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Social Work as Advocacy

Social Work as Advocacy

Social Workers Appreciation MonthHighlights from RITI's Monthly Newsletter INN SIGHT   March is Social Work Month, and we are celebrating the...

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Donor Appreciation

Donor Appreciation

Will You Be Our Valentine? Month of Love brings appreciation for RITI Donors Roses are red,Violets are blue,Giving is sweet,And so are you! During...

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Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays

Happy Holidays from Room in the Inn - Memphis!   As we enter this season, many of us start to think about being home for the holidays. Now more...

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Give Well, Give Forward

Give Well, Give Forward

Lessons on Giving, From Our Creative DirectorHighlights from RITI's Monthly "INN SIGHT" I’d like to pause during this busy time of year to say thank...

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Light, Love, Shelter

Light, Love, Shelter

13 Years of #LIGHTLOVESHELTERHighlights from RITI's November INN SIGHT November means the start of our 13th RITI Winter Shelter Season. This year,...

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Housing Stabilization

Housing Stabilization

Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, RITI is delighted to introduce the Housing Stabilization project. Kathleen...

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CITI Camp

CITI Camp

Highlights from RITI's September INN SIGHT   Since moving into our own new home at 409 Ayers Street earlier this year, RITI has celebrated with...

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Room in the Inn Finds a Home

Room in the Inn Finds a Home

Happy Epiphany - When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!   Dear Friends, I am very excited to share this brief 3 1/2 minute video...

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Our Finest Gifts We Bring

Our Finest Gifts We Bring

What Gifts Do YOU Bring?   Dear Friends, “Our finest gifts we bring to lay before the King.” As you may know, these are lyrics from The Little...

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Recuperative Care Center to Open

Recuperative Care Center to Open

Memphis to become home to Mid-South’s first recuperative care center for the homeless Have you ever wondered what happens to someone experiencing...

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Navigating COVID-19

Navigating COVID-19

Like everyone, the RITI team has navigated a number of transitions since the COVID19 pandemic began. In March, we ended our winter shelter season...

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PRESS RELEASE: Empty to Enough

PRESS RELEASE: Empty to Enough

For Immediate Release RITI Memphis mobilizes to meet need for shelter this winterRITI invites local faith communities to join the host network as...

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Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter

A Message from our Executive Director Dear friends,It is important that we all acknowledge the local and national efforts to oppose racism, white...

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Celebrating Interns

Celebrating Interns

Congratulations to our RITI Interns on their graduations! Celeste Rivers, MSWCeleste graduated from Union University’s School of Social Work on May...

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Hospitality in Every Place

Hospitality in Every Place

A Message from our Executive Director The mission of Room in the Inn-Memphis is to serve those experiencing homelessness in a safe environment of...

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Re-Centering, Yoga and RITI

Re-Centering, Yoga and RITI

Volunteer and instructor Laurie Kay shares her experiences and hopes for a safe yoga experience for our guests. Pictured above students from...

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IMPORTANT UPDATES: COVID-19

IMPORTANT UPDATES: COVID-19

IMPORTANT UPDATES CONCERNING ROOM IN THE INN SEASON Our guests and volunteers are our priority, especially during times where extra safety...

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New Year, New Opportunities

New Year, New Opportunities

Celebrating RITI's 10th Anniversary Season (November 2019- March 2020) Dear Friends,Join me in celebrating an important milestone for Room in the...

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100 Nights

100 Nights

Tonight marks the 100th night of our 2018-2019 Winter Shelter Season.   We could not do this work without the power and love of the volunteers....

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Month of Making Room

Month of Making Room

Join us throughout the Month of October as we celebrate a "Month of Making Room" and kick off our annual campaign for INNKEEPERS - our monthly...

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RITI Sunday

RITI Sunday

Room in the Inn - Memphis empowers faith communities to shelter and share meals with those experiencing homelessness.   With the help of the...

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Season 9 Begins

Season 9 Begins

RITI Memphis Begins 9th Season November is almost here, and the Inn Crowd is busy preparing spaces of Holy Hospitality throughout the Greater...

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Responding to the Call

Responding to the Call

Will you answer? Room in the Inn - Memphis receives a lot of calls on a daily basis:check-in calls from our churches and volunteers,hopeful referral...

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Tis the Season

Tis the Season

Memphis "Inn Crowd" Begins 8th Season with 35 Host Congregations Seven years ago a tiny congregation, Colonial Cumberland Presbyterian Church,...

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Carpenter’s House

Carpenter’s House

Can you believe there is only a month left in the season? Currently the Inn Crowd spans 25 congregations across 8 denominations and 2...

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Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday

As RITI-Memphis grows, so do opportunities for giving Each Week in Memphis:27 Congregations7 Nights240 Meals and Beds Six years ago a tiny...

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Gwen’s Story

Gwen’s Story

On June 7th, 2012, Gwen Jackson was found murdered on the steps of a church. Reverend Lisa Anderson, Pastor of Colonial Cumberland Presbyterian...

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