Families arrive at an American Family Inns in a state of crisis with
nowhere left to turn. The stresses of poverty and homelessness can do
irreparable harm to parents and children. This means the first job of
the Inn is to provide them with the immediate assistance that they need
to stabilize their families. By providing critical support services,
emergency care, health services, and targeted counseling, the Inn
allows a family to address their most immediate needs in preparation
for the next level of programming. Once a foundation of trust and
confidence is built among the staff, parents, and children, the whole
family is ready to explore the wide range of Inn programs available to
them. 
The
Crisis Nurseries offer 24-hour temporary emergency child care to
children at risk of abuse or neglect. Through intensive counseling,
aftercare services, parenting workshops, and on-going support and
referrals, Nursery staff help parents to address the issues which
precipitated their use of the Crisis Nursery, giving them skills to
keep their families together and avoid unnecessary foster care
placements.
Stabilizing
the health of parents and children as soon as they arrive at the Inn is
one of the first priorities for staff and families. this basic service
is essential to maintain the physical and emotional health of homeless
families, allowing all family members the peace of mind to participate
in all the Inn community has to offer. Mobile health units provide
medical, prenatal, and dental care to residents at the Inn. In
addition, clinics for physical and preventative medical care are
offered on-site and individual referrals to community hospitals are
made if a special health condition exists.
The
Inns have partnerships with local providers of substance abuse and
domestic violence counseling and set aside space for these services to
be offered on-site. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a
family's situation, substance abuse and domestic violence counseling is
offered through one-on-one discussions with a trained counselor or
through referrals to transitional community programs.
A
Housing Specialist facilitates each family's search for permanent and
affordable housing. Once they have established a stable support system
within the Inn program network, many parents feel more prepared to
begin an intensive housing search.
