A friendly greeting will be the beginning of your stay with us. As you enter our house, you should expect a clean, safe refuge where you can rest on your journey. Our mission at East Texas Hospitality House is to assist you in your visit with your family member who is incarcerated by providing clean bedrooms to sleep in; men and women bathrooms with shower facilities; a dining area for meals, snacks, and refreshments; plus gathering areas to relax and visit over a jigsaw puzzle, a board game, or even a discussion about the Bible and how much God loves you.
We are currently open for lodging on Friday and Saturday nights. We have 16 bedrooms available for lodging needs of families visiting their family member who is incarcerated in the East Texas area. Reservations can be made by calling (903) 928-0116. We recommend making your reservation as soon as you have your visit confirmed with TDCJ. We give preference to those guests who have to travel 200+ miles. Guests who live closer can contact us prior to their visit to verify if any rooms are still open for reservations. We are not open on the 5th weekend of a month ; July 30/31, 2022; October 29/30, 2022; or the week between Christmas and January 1st.
Our doors are unlocked and registration begins at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Doors are locked at 10 p.m. and no one is allowed in for the rest of the night. When you register, you will be assigned a bedroom and furnished a set of sheets for each bed. Each bed is already furnished with blankets, comforters, and pillows by the generous donations of East Texas Southern Baptists. We expect the beds to be made up with the sheets for sleeping. On leaving your stay with us, please place sheets, pillowcases, and towels outside your door so we may launder them.
Meals are great times for us to visit and get to know each other. When we sit down to eat, we invite all our guests to join us. On Fridays, we have sandwiches between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Our breakfasts are from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. We usually have sausage patties, biscuits and gravy, assorted cold cereals, and fresh fruit available. Always coffee, juice and milk. On Saturday evenings we have family meals like I grew up with : beans and cornbread; baked potatoes with chili, cheese, and other fixings; spaghetti with garlic toast and a salad; etc. The best part of the meal though is the conversations we have as we share our stories, discuss the days events and encourage each other.
Our bathrooms are communal with toilets, sinks, and showers for men and for women. There is an ADA compliant shower available in the men's and in the women's bathroom for our guests who need them. We furnish clean towels for our guests, and have a small selection of soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste if you forgot to bring yours.
Due to our location in rural Texas, we do not provide WIFI service. Some of our guests have mentioned that they only get cell phone reception on the front or back porch areas from their carrier.
One of our scheduled activities is a weekly Bible Study. We have set aside 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays as the time when we gather to seek what God says and how to apply His instructions to our lives. Interacting with God through His written word is an integral part of a follower of Christ gaining maturity. All of our guests are invited to join us and to bring their questions. We have various translations in English and Spanish available as a gift to those who do not have their own personal copy.
East Texas Hospitality House does not charge any fees to the families who stay with us during their visit with an incarcerated family member in this area. Our facilities were built in 2002 by men and women in this area who donated their time, their talents, their treasure to make this ministry a reality. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that is registered in the state of Texas. We continue to operate on the donations of individuals, churches, and organizations who care that our guests have a safe refuge to stay in. Let me emphasize: we do not charge any fees to families of inmates who stay with us while visiting a family member who is incarcerated in the East Texas area! However, we do and will accept your donations to continue to offer lodging, meals and encouragement to our guests.
HOUSE GUIDELINES
*Linens must be used on beds. You will be furnished with sheets and pillowcases so you may make up your beds after you register.
*Bedroom assignments will be made at time of registration. Guests are not allowed in another person's bedroom.
*Laundry room is for staff use only.
*Kitchen and dining room lights will be turned off at 9:00 p.m. and living room lights at 10:00 p.m.
*Children (any person under the age of 18) must be under the supervision of their parents or guardians at all times.
*East Texas Hospitality House does not provide transportation, loan money, or dispense medication.
*East Texas Hospitality House does not assume responsibility for damage or loss of any personal items.
* Dress properly at all times, even while going between bedrooms and bath area. Shoes are to be worn in common areas.
*Preaching and teaching the Bible will be by authorized personnel only.
*The NO's: NO smoking in the building.
NO foul or abusive language.
NO gambling.
NO drugs or alcohol. If under the influence you will be asked to leave.
NO firearms.
NO slamming doors.
NO pets allowed.
NO loud music.
NO one is allowed in another person's bedroom under any circumstances.
NO food or drink outside the dining area.
NO unsupervised children.
NO skateboards, bicycles or skates allowed.
NO admittance after 10:00 p.m.
