It didn’t take long for the Cohen family to fall in love with Family Promise.

Aaron, Deanna, and their three children wanted an opportunity to make a difference in the world as a family. They learned of Family Promise and were drawn to the cause, even though the closest Affiliate was up to an hour from their home in Riverside, CA. After their first time volunteering, they knew they wanted to bring the program to their own community. They contacted Family Promise and enlisted local support, and, as Aaron says, “Things snowballed from there.”

Today, Family Promise of Riverside is months from opening its doors, with the Cohen family playing an active role. They’ve done significant fundraising, are coordinating shelter sites, and have a growing board of directors. They’ve even received two donated vehicles to help families who lack transportation.

“We like the way Family Promise is designed,” Deanna explains. “It’s sustainable in a way volunteers can handle. Lasting changes come from relationships, not just throwing money at problems.”

The family has found that the work of developing a new Affiliate unites the community.
“We all have the same goal in mind,” says Aaron. “To end homelessness.”

Dan Bottorff grew up on a farm in Iowa, so his gardening skills are well established. Today, his green thumb ensures families in need have fresh, healthy food on their plates every week.

For nearly ten years, Dan has overseen the gardens at First United Methodist Church in Westfield, NJ, a Family Promise shelter site. He and a team of volunteers cultivate a community kitchen garden that supplies produce to Family Promise and local food pantries. The garden yields string beans, tomatoes, peppers, and more, and every Monday during growing season, families can stock their kitchens with herbs and produce picked fresh that morning.

Families appreciate the fresh food the garden provides, and Dan notes he and his fellow gardeners benefit from the project, as well.

“The community garden is a wonderful thing,” he says. “It’s like Family Promise in that it brings people together, and they get a lot out of it whether they’re working in the garden or reaping the harvest.”

Math isn’t fun in Zykir’s house.

The fourth grader struggles with his lessons, but math is just one of the trials Zykir has confronted. Several years ago, his family faced homelessness before finding Family Promise Union County in Elizabeth, NJ. Now, as graduates, they use stabilization services when needed, such as a new academic tutoring program.

Nearby Summit High School is home to the Family Promise Club, which supports Family Promise families. Recognizing the challenges of remote learning during COVID, the club developed a virtual tutoring program for elementary and middle school students.

Statistics show children battling homelessness may struggle more in school—dropout rates, special needs, and grade repetition are significantly higher than among their peers. For Zykir, the tutoring replaces support he would normally receive in school. His mom, Roneeka, is grateful for the program.

“When I ask him if he understands his work more, he says yes. I can see his grades have improved since tutoring began,” she says.

Leah, a Family Promise Club officer and tutor, says, “It’s rewarding to work with these students and see them improving. Being a tutor has helped me appreciate my own education more.”

In addition to boosting grades and study habits, the program increases understanding about the crisis of family homelessness.

“A lot of people think homelessness just happens in cities, but it hits home when you realize it can be a lot closer,” says Hope, a club officer and tutor.

Club President Josh adds, “It feels good to be part of an organization that’s helping people in this way. I’m proud of the tutors and kids for working so hard. We’re happy to support families this way.”

A new trustee in 2020, Sherina Smith is passionate about helping communities impacted by poverty and homelessness build a stable foundation, particularly minority communities.

“Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the crisis of family homelessness,” she says, citing how the past year highlighted deep-seated problems like housing insecurity, income disparity, and racial inequality nationwide. Family Promise’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion resonates with her and “will enhance our understanding of the communities we serve,” she says.

Sherina is also using her experience in marketing, advertising, and strategic planning to increase awareness about the crisis of family homelessness.

“As Family Promise gains recognition, we bring even greater purpose and support to the communities we serve,” she says. “And that leads to stability.”

Neighbors in a small town are there for one another, and in rural Lincoln City, OR, Family Promise of Lincoln County is one such neighbor.

When COVID hit, the local library, the city’s only resource for public computers and internet service, closed. Family Promise made its Wi-Fi available to all and arranged safe access to its computers. Family Promise also tapped its connections and distributed hundreds of food boxes and PPE kits.

Then, when wildfires threatened the region last fall, Family Promise was poised to help yet again.

The fires affected low-income families the most. Family Promise covered fuel expenses for those who found themselves stuck along the evacuation route and collaborated with local groups to create a trailer campground in a vacant parking lot for people whose homes were destroyed. Family Promise continued to share Wi-Fi and provided critical case management, making life more manageable for dozens of families.

Fire cleanup continues today, and Family Promise is there to ensure families will once again have a place to call home.

Last fall, two hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast back-to-back. Months later, the region is still recovering.

In the storms’ aftermath, Family Promise of Acadiana in Lafayette, LA, was among the first to assist families in the affected communities, their support augmented by Family Promise’s national hurricane relief campaign.

They collaborated with local nonprofits to deliver water, hot meals, gas and gas cans, and tarps for temporary roofing to residents who lost electricity. Family Promise and others also created an outdoor “store” to provide necessities like diapers and cleaning supplies. The support is ongoing as the region slowly recovers.

Executive Director Renee Menard likens the relief efforts to her work with families battling homelessness.

“It’s just like when you volunteer at Family Promise—you get at least as much out of it as the families in the program do,” she says.

When Meg Cotter started an online home décor business last spring, she wanted it to have a philanthropic component to help families in need. She discovered Family Promise and connected to its mission.

Her business, Cailíní Coastal, offers home accents with a coastal design aesthetic that echoes the ambiance of the Cotters’ hometown of Palos Verdes, CA. The business was an instant success, and to date, Cailíní Coastal has raised thousands of dollars for Family Promise, especially helpful given the increased need for housing support due to COVID.

The Cotters also wanted to provide hands-on help and began volunteering at a nearby Affiliate. Meg’s husband Brian offers parents job search assistance, and Meg uses her business platform and reach on social media to promote Family Promise.

“I’m happy to make an impact, and as this business grows, I look forward to being an awareness driver,” Meg says.

Sometimes it’s easiest to learn new things in small steps. Or, in the case of families honing budgeting skills, in bites.

When Jill Harris, a semi-retired CPA and volunteer at Family Promise Union County in Elizabeth, NJ, saw families in crisis overwhelmed by financial planning, she devised a manageable way to help them become fiscally responsible: Financial Literacy Bites. Referencing New Beginnings, the financial literacy program Family Promise developed with Woodforest National Bank, Jill breaks budgeting concepts into “bite-sized” nuggets of information that are emailed to families weekly. She also offers families individual counseling.

Knowing how to manage finances provides a blueprint for the future, but Jill understands money matters are often traumatic for families battling homelessness because their situation is directly tied to their finances.

She says, “By being sensitive to this and making finances easier to understand, a family can address their situation and get back on track.”

Family Promise Union County, better known as FPUC, in Elizabeth, NJ, is Family Promise’s flagship program overseen by the national office. Like all our Affiliates, FPUC tackles the crisis of family homelessness through comprehensive services that address homelessness prevention and shelter diversion, emergency shelter, and stabilization support.

With COVID disrupting normal operations in 2020, FPUC innovated ways to effectively meet families’ needs remotely. Over the course of the year, a total of 14 families in the shelter program (including 22 children) were transitioned into apartments to ensure safe and separate living quarters. Various web-based instructional workshops, an online academic tutoring program, and virtual fitness classes provided families with critical supports and social interaction, and volunteer engagement increased due to the accessibility of online training.

In addition to shelter, FPUC worked with more than 400 families to offer case management and counseling, job search support, childcare, rental assistance, shelter diversion, educational workshops, a flu vaccine clinic, donations of food, clothing, and furniture (and seven car donations!), and more. All the families who exited the shelter program remain in permanent housing.
Homelessness prevention was a major focus for FPUC last year, and 65 families avoided the trauma of homelessness through prevention and diversion programs. Relationships with approximately 100 local landlords facilitated housing opportunities, and FPUC collaborated with more than 20 national and community partners to augment the services provided to families.

A COVID-19 Hardship Fund targeted expenses for apartments used as temporary shelter, emergency rent, utility assistance, and other costs. Other significant financial support came from a $30,000 New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund grant, and FPUC was one of four Union County entities selected to administer $450,000 in CARES Act funding.

Bruce never imagined his journey would lead to homelessness, but as a single father, when circumstances left him without an income or a home, he felt lost.

Family Promise of North Idaho in Coeur d’Alene helped him find his way.

Bruce and his son entered the shelter program. With Family Promise’s encouragement and support, the father who never finished high school earned his GED, enrolled in trade school, and applied to college. He graduated with honors, and last spring, he received his master’s degree in education. Bruce found temporary work and was quickly promoted twice while he seeks a teaching position.

Along the way, Family Promise helped Bruce with school supplies and critical auto repairs, empowering him to keep moving forward.

“I can’t believe where we were and where we are,” he says. “Being homeless was actually a new beginning. Family Promise made all the difference.”

Family Promise, SchoolHouse Connection, and other nonprofits co-hosted a virtual Congressional Briefing Series on the state of youth and family homelessness.

Family Promise guest April Goode, who was also featured in a New York Times article on homelessness during COVID, shared her experiences in the “Parent Voices” segment presented to U.S. Representatives Steve Stivers (R-OH) and Danny K. Davis (D-IL). April didn’t have a history of homelessness or other troubles, which worked against her when she sought assistance.

“I couldn’t get help because I’m not on drugs, wasn’t beaten or battered,” she explained. “All the things I’d think would take me further…were held against me. I was denied benefits.”

Prior to the COVID outbreak, public schools and early childhood programs reported the highest number of children and youth experiencing homelessness on record. Those numbers rose in 2020. The series brought the impact of COVID, long-standing racial disparities and equity challenges, and gaps in current policies to the attention of congressional representatives.