At most homeless shelters, men are housed in shelters separate from women and children. At a family refuge, homeless families with a mother, father and children; a custodial father with children, or a mother or father with a male child 12 or older do not have to split up. Instead they can remain together, receive help to tackle the issues in their lives that find them in need of shelter, and hopefully to transition to a new and better life.

In 2009 the board of the Decatur Family Shelter purchased the former Good Samaritan Inn on North Water Street in Decatur.

"We didn't have much money at the beginning," says Susan O'Neal, a DFR board member. "We raised money to make significant repairs. The whole upstairs of the building needed to be rehabbed."

The shelter can accommodate five families. Additional bathrooms were installed.

"It is designed to be nice. It's not fancy, but nice," says O'Neal.

Meals are prepared by a cook, and served in a community dining room. Each family has its own table in the dining room. "They learn how to set the table, to use napkins. There is a firm rule. 'No cell phones at the dining table'," says Kathleen Taylor, who had been the executive director of Good Samaritan Inn, and was later hired to be the director of the Decatur Family Refuge.

"She (Taylor) was familiar with the building, and with the population we were targeting to help," says O'Neal. "She was developing the job descriptions we would need, while the building was under renovation."

A case manager, meets with families when they come in and develops an individual program for them to help solve whatever problems contributed to the family's homelessness — a parent needing to finish a high school education, an untreated mental illness, no job skills, or any number of other reasons.

The family has to abide by the rules at the shelter. "It is kind of like dorm rules," says Taylor. "For instance, there is no going out at 2 a.m. for a drink."

Clients are connected with resources in the community — a food pantry, a resale clothing store, etc. "The goal is to transition them out in 90 days," says Taylor.

The Decatur Family Refuge is full.

"We are operating on a shoestring and a prayer. We certainly could use donations. We are a 501(c) (3); donations are tax deductable," Taylor says.