An Old Classroom, a New Purpose: How North Hill Christian Church is Housing LGBTQ+ Neighbors

As churches change, how they use their buildings change, too, and many times churches are left with more physical space than they need. North Hill Christian Church in Spokane, Washington has a space in their church building that, decades ago, was a children’s Sunday School room and since then has been used for storage. They’re partnering with Jewels Helping Hands, a non-profit that serves the unhoused population in Spokane, to make the unused space in the church into a shelter space to house LGBTQ+ individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Rev. Chris Snow, North Hill’s pastor, and Bill Jennison, a leader in the church, joined the podcast along with Samantha Merryman and Kylie Mahakam from Jewels Helping Hands, to explain the process of the church space becoming a shelter site.