Several students and faculty from the Honors College at TCU plan to visit the Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County Wednesday.

For the past 29 years, the Presbyterian Night Shelter has served the needs of people in Tarrant County who are homeless. The Presbyterian Night Shelter is the largest provider of services for the homeless and the only free emergency shelter without length-of-stay restrictions within the area, according to the shelter’s website. 

During their trip, the university students and faculty will tour several different facilities at the shelter, James Petrovich, a department of social work assistant professor, said.

Petrovich said the group would tour not only the main shelter but also the Safe Havens, which are residential homes of respite for homeless, mentally ill people.

Petrovich also said they would visit the shelter’s Lowdon-Schutts Building, which is specifically for homeless women and their children, and the Patriot House, a transitional housing program for homeless veterans.

Toby Owen, the executive director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, said there is always a need for volunteers to help care for the average of 625 homeless men, women and children every night at the shelter.

“There are over 2,000 individuals in Tarrant County that are homeless," Owen said. "It is very important for these citizens to have a safe place to go in order to receive the shelter and help they need to end their homelessness."

Carly Hirvela, an Honors student involved in organizing the trip, said she hopes students gain insight into how the social service system works as well as an understanding of homelessness in our community.

“It is important for TCU students to support the Presbyterian Night Shelter because Fort Worth is very supportive of TCU, and this is one way that TCU students can support the Fort Worth community,” Hirvela said.

The students on this trip were asked to make a donation based on the list of urgent needs at the shelter.

To donate time or money to support the Presbyterian Night Shelter of Tarrant County, visit http://www.pns-tc.org/web/.