Family Promise - Greater Phoenix

Shelter program: provides emergency shelter and support services to homeless families with children and their pets. Lodging is either through community-based hosting within an interfaith network or on-site at Family Promise. The dual model is a lingering pandemic pivot. Families receive up to 60 days of shelter, basic needs, coaching, education, and cash flow management training at one of five Family Promise sites. Many families also have employment as a goal, although some already have a job when they move into our shelter. Childcare is also key to a Family's success, so we support those initial fees. The objective is to quickly stabilize the entire Family: babies/toddlers through childcare, children through school and afternoon enrichment, and parents through work and savings. This empowers them to secure sustainable, long-term housing. During 2023, we provided shelter services to 180 families consisting of 235 adults and 388 children. That translated to 22,296 shelter nights by the interfaith congregation network and Family Promise staff. Approximately 22,000 hours of service were provided by volunteers to supplement services provided by paid staff. The shelter program also featured its third full year of homeless prevention services. Funding supported rental shortfall before families become homeless and supported move-in costs for graduates to prevent a slide back into homelessness. We supported 85 children in 36 families with prevention services. It only cost $429/child to pad their Family's housing and health stability. Regular food donations from the community allow us to send each Family home with a food box too.

Outreach development: in order to provide emergency shelter to homeless families, the organization must ensure a solid and diverse awareness and funding pipeline. Reaching out to the congregational, business, and civic communities are routine efforts. Congregational volunteers who provide lodging and meals remain the core of Family Promise. These relationships are thoughtfully cultivated and nurtured to sustain their participation, especially in a post-pandemic world where church attendance has slid. In-kind lodging, meals and volunteer efforts saved Family Promise over $400,000 in 2023. The outreach staff made great strides in expanding community partnerships and two-way referral norms when Family Promise joined the glendale homeless alliance. Its hub is the norton and ramsey social justice empowerment center and partners know to refer homeless families to us. We began regularly reaching out to our neighbors with needs list requests via the nextdoor app. Many donors dropped off items and toured our facilities as a result. We began showing our signature "journey of a child" video to conclude each tour. Neighbors, business leaders, and organization leaders are moved by how simply Family Promise can end Family homelessness with community support.