“Family Promise” and Trinity UMC
A mother loses her job, a father is kept from working by an injury, a family is forced from their home by fire or natural disaster. Healthcare costs soar, public transportation is underfunded, affordable housing is almost impossible to find. These are the reasons why families now make up 40 percent of the homeless population, and why one out of every four homeless people is a child.
In response to this crisis, Family Promise-Interfaith Hospitality Network (FP-IHN) brings the faith community together to help families regain their housing, their independence, and their dignity. FP-IHN is a partnership of congregations within a community helping families who are facing homelessness. It offers an opportunity for volunteers of all faiths to reduce homelessness and transform lives. FP-IHN is currently operating in 41 states and the District of Columbia, in large cities, suburbs, and rural counties. They mobilize community resources: houses of worship for lodging, congregations for volunteers, social service agencies for assessment and referrals, and existing facilities for day programs. This strategy enables networks to help homeless families achieve lasting independence at a third of the cost of traditional shelters. Nationally, 80 percent of the families that FP-IHN serve, go on to long-term housing. In 2009, FP-IHN affiliates served more than 47,000 children and adults and involved more than 130,000 volunteers in 5,000 congregations.
The TrinityUMC/PBG congregation understands the plight of these families that are caught in this dilemma and the downward family spiral that often accompanies these economic disasters. The TrinityUMC/PBG Missions Team and our church leadership believes that the Family Promise program can help each of us to better understand the plight of these families and to own part of the remedy. Within our large facility and the love our congregation we believe there is more than enough room to help these families grow back to health. Trinity’s primary function within the local FP-IHN is to act as a “Host Congregation” and we will be doing this in the week of October 2-8, 2011.
Hosting rotates among the host congregations in the network. Other congregations, who are unable to be a host congregation due to facility or other limitations, may provide volunteers, financial, and other support and are identified as “Supporting congregations”.
Hosting congregations (like Trinity) furnish sleeping quarters and a hospitality room where guests relax, socialize, do homework and watch television. Guests arrive at the host congregation facility between 5:30pm and 6:00pm and remain overnight. The host congregation provides the evening meal, and provisions for breakfast and a bag lunch which are prepared by the guests. In the morning, guests return to the day center. From there, children go to school and adults care for young children or go out to work or to look for jobs or housing.
Day Center: During the day, guests use the FP-IHN Day Center at Holy Trinity Episcopal in WPB. Guests are provided transportation between the Day Center and the host congregations. The Day Center is the guests' home base. It provides them with a mailing address, phone service, and computer access to enable guests to find housing and employment. Case managers and guests work together at the Day Center. Together they support the guest's steps toward self-reliance and establish the goals and strategies needed to achieve sustained independence. FP-IHN case managers at the Day Center collaborate with other service provider agencies to help our guests obtain housing, job mentoring, counseling and social and health services.
Servant-Volunteers in the FP-IHN program provide homeless families with basic human needs—shelter, safety and sustenance—with a spirit of warmth and hospitality. Houses of worship become temporary homes in which families are treated as guests and individuals are accepted as they are. In this environment, guests are able to maintain their dignity. The kindness of hosts helps to diminish the hurt of homelessness, and both volunteers and guests grow and learn from each other. Servant-Volunteers are the heart of the program, preparing meals, providing hospitality and transportation. Servant-Volunteers staff the Day Center, help guests find jobs and housing and share their specialized skills, such as resume writing, financial planning and parenting. Of course, Servant-Volunteers are the key to the local hosting congregations during hosting week. Trinity is recruiting servant/volunteers to assist in running host week. These servant-volunteer positions include the following leadership roles:
The Primary Coordinator takes overall responsibility for ensuring that the host congregation’s program runs smoothly. Assistant Coordinator positions include the following:
1. Host Coordinator. Schedules evening (5:30pm-8:30pm) and overnight (8:30pm-7:00am) servant-volunteers; works with the meal coordinator to make sure there are enough servant-volunteers to prepare dinner and breakfast.
2. Meal Coordinator. Oversees the menu-planning for host week to avoid duplication and ensure that meals are well balanced. Schedules servant-volunteers to prepare and serve dinner and breakfast.
3. Supply Coordinator. Keeps needed items in stock by purchasing or securing donations of food staples, paper products, toys and games, linens, cleaning supplies, baby needs, and other items for host week.
4. Activities Coordinator. Plans special events, arts-and-crafts activities, and games for children. May provide movies or computer access and coaching if equipment and expertise is available.
5. Donations Coordinator. Collects and organizes donations of clothing, furniture, and household items: arranges distribution to guests once they are settled in permanent housing.
You are urged to give prayerful consideration to these leadership positions. Please contact Nancy Smith <click here> to discuss your ability and willingness to serve in these leadership roles. It is ideal if these positions are shared by a couple acting as a team or even two couples who may alternate in the roles.
Trinity’s Wish List: Trinity is also in need of donations of bed linens, particularly “extra long single” sheets (dormitory size) as well as other linens such as pillow cases and lightweight blankets suitable for the October-November season. Please advise Suzy Bryant <click here> of your intent to donate these items so we can mark them off our wish list. Stay tuned for other wish list items that we will be requesting.
More about Family Promise of North/Central Palm Beach County: If you would like to learn more about Family Promise of NCPBC, <click here> to link to their web site. There may be ways your family would like to become directly involved in support of this very worthy mission. In particular, check out their “Wish List” to see their current needs.
Learn more about FP-IHN’s nationwide programs:<click here> to link to the parent organization’s web site. If you would like to see the FP-IHN “Guide for Volunteers” manual, <click here>.
If you have questions concerning Family Promise at TrinityPBG, please contact Suzy Bryant, Chairperson-Missions Committee or Nancy Smith, Volunteer Coordinator-TUMC.