What Is Family Promise?

The Family Promise Network program brings shelter, meals, and support services to families without homes. The objective is to provide temporary support for families under duress, so that they can get back on their feet and once again become self-sustaining.

Family Promise Networks are a cost-efficient, effective, and replicable community response to family homelessness. Because they make use of existing community resources, they can be implemented quickly, without major start-up costs.

Family Promise programs vary from community to community, reflecting local needs and resources. However, there are five basic components to a Network program, and we are in the process of building these components for the DeKalb County Network:

Hosts

Hosting rotates weekly among a minimum of 13 host congregations in a Network. In turn, each host congregation provides lodging, three meals daily, and welcoming care.

Day Center

Guests use a local day center from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, where the Family Promise director, a professional social worker, provides case management services. There, guests pursue employment, tend pre-school children, shower, and do laundry. The day center provides guests with a mailing address and a base for housing and employment searches. Many guests are employed during the day, while older children attend school.

Volunteers

Volunteers provide various services:

• Cooking and serving meals
• Playing with children or helping them with homework
• Interacting with guests, with respect and compassion

Social Service Agencies

Local social service agencies refer families to the Network. The agencies may also help guests find housing, jobs, and benefits.

Transportation

A Family Promise Network van transports guests to and from the day center. The Network also has a use for a truck to carry bedding and luggage to the next host congregation. It also used to collect any donations made to the Network.

We would be delighted to have you join us.

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