Our History - Timeline

Our Founding Director Charles Strobel invited the first guests to stay overnight at Holy Name Church, and, alongside faithful early volunteers, offered shelter throughout the winter.

Just as had been done at Holy Name, four additional congregations opened their doors in a collaborative effort to shelter those experiencing homelessness through the winter.

By the end of the first winter season of Room In The Inn, 31 congregations were committed, and a steering committee was formed with Jim Olive, Pastor of Jackson Park Church of Christ, elected as chair.

77 congregations strong, Room In The Inn began another season. The first full-time staff member, Madeleine DeMoss, was hired.

Over 1 million dollars in donated volunteer service had been provided by Room In The Inn congregations and downtown volunteers.

The program relocated to 606 Demonbreun, current site of Bridgestone Arena. Then-Mayor Bill Boner stayed on the streets to bring awareness and understanding to homelessness.

The Guest House, an alternative to jail for the publicly intoxicated, was created at the request of Metro judges and in partnership with Metro Police Department.

Recuperative care space was created for people experiencing homelessness who are medically fragile and recovering from recent hospitalization, illness, or injury.

In a public-private partnership with the city, and the first of its kind in the country, Room In The Inn, Guest House, and FOCUS Ministries merged to create the Campus for Human Development - providing a comprehensive, single site of essential services for those experiencing homelessness in direct response to the community’s needs.

We began our first formal educational component of the Campus out of the belief that each individual deserves opportunities for lifelong learning and self-empowerment.

In partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, we created a transitional housing program for Veterans, providing a supportive community and safe place to stay while receiving individual support to secure permanent housing.

We renovated and expanded the second floor of the Campus for Human Development, doubling in size to 20,000 square feet of space for our essential services, meal program, educational opportunities, and more.

The first annual Nashville Unlimited Christmas Concert was hosted by Dave Pomeroy at Christ Church Cathedral.

For the first time, the number of congregations committed to sheltering guests through our Room In The Inn winter shelter program reached over 150.

We celebrated the first annual Sunrise Service on Easter morning in partnership with Second Presbyterian Church.

Rachel Hester was named our Executive Director on August 18, 2005, succeeding our Founding Director Charles Strobel. Our core values statement was established: Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, we provide hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of nonviolence.

Our first annual “More Than A Toy” event, first imagined by then-Harpeth Hall student Andee Johnson, uplifted participants in our education program as they reconnected with family members through holiday gift giving.

We hosted our inaugural Foot Clinic, now a weekly service, which tends to the physical health of participants by washing their feet, as well as their emotional health through the love and tender care of volunteers.

The Groundbreaking of our 705 Drexel Street expansion was a true celebration of community.

We experienced our first nights with more than 300 beds provided for emergency shelter through Room In The Inn. We hosted our first H.E.L.P. Legal Clinic in partnership with local attorneys who provide pro bono services for civil and criminal matters.

After extensive renovation and expansion of our building, our current campus was completed, providing over 64,000 square feet of wraparound support services, educational programming, affordable housing, and much more.

The “Sharing” statue, created by artist Russ Faxon, was installed in our courtyard to symbolize the ways that all of us in the Room In The Inn community both give and receive.

Our winter shelter congregations had provided more than 700,000 beds since our inception.

We acquired Drexel House, which is the former carriage house to Immaculate Mother Academy, St. Katherine Drexel’s school for children facing poverty and discrimination. Drexel House provided additional space for socially distanced programming during the pandemic and will be a site of future growth.

Out of our commitment to respond to the needs of our neighbors experiencing homelessness, Room In The Inn remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to keep participants as healthy and safe as possible, many of our essential services moved to the street, we helped the city set up an additional shelter at the Fairgrounds, and winter shelter operations changed significantly. We weathered the height of the pandemic together.

We purchased the final property along our block of Drexel Street, affectionately called “Warner House,” in the hope of creating more opportunities and support for permanent housing in the future.

We opened 10 new apartments in an Affordable Housing Expansion for a total of 48 permanent supportive housing units at Room In The Inn.

Our business center was renovated to include computers with access to a staff member for one-on-one support towards employment, income, and housing goals.

The Life Skills Lab was created as a home-within-a-home where our occupational therapist can work with individuals one-on-one and as a group to become more confident with independent living.

Our beloved Founding Director Charles Strobel died peacefully on August 6, 2023. More than 1,500 people attended the citywide gathering celebrating his life at the Nashville Sounds stadium.

Charles Strobel’s posthumous memoir, The Kingdom of the Poor, was released in September 2024.

A record-breaking number of attendees were present for the Tennessee State Museum’s event TN Writers | TN Stories featuring The Kingdom of the Poor.