Community Based
Twenty churches serve the families, providing relief from a state of homelessness, which causes intense stress on children and parents. This prevents families from falling into a state of chronic homelessness. By accepting the entire family, both single- and two-parent households, children stay together with parents and siblings and are never separated from one another. Every child and parent accepted into the program is considered our heartfelt guest.
Empowerment
Families are provided a temporary place to sleep, shower, and do laundry while in the program. The staff provides high-quality, intensive, goal-oriented case management with each parent, requiring accountability. They ensure that every child is in school, and that families work towards goals like employment and permanent housing, while addressing the issues and circumstances that contributed to homelessness in the first place.
Outcome Driven
Successful outcomes are families who have moved from homelessness through the program (normally 12 weeks) on to a life of sustainable independence; not someone who has fallen back into homelessness. Our goal is not to simply serve more people, rather it is to work with families to ensure that they are never homeless again. 94% of the families we serve lead new and changed lives that impact our entire community.
Family Service Programs
Guest Family Shelter
While in the Guest Shelter, parents and staff work together on six major needs: addressing the trauma of homelessness and past experiences, ensuring that children are in school/childcare, gaining reliable transportation, attaining full-time employment, achieving financial stability, and acquiring safe, sustainable housing. A savings match of $750 is made to each family upon program graduation.
Homeless Diversion
In the Homeless Diversion Initiative, families are diverted from a state of homelessness directly into safe, affordable housing. After a sustainable financial plan is established, direct financial payments for housing deposits and/or other needs are made for families. Staff continues to provide care management and support for the next year.
Welcome Home
Nothing energizes us like the moments of joy filled with happy faces of children and parents moving from a state of homelessness into their new homes!
Upon program graduation or after being diverted from homelessness into safe, affordable housing, the staff continues to work with the families by providing aftercare services, supporting the families further and ensuring that they do not become homeless again.