Some Place Like Home: Family Promise

by Don Blascak

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, “On any given night, an estimated 842,000 people are homeless in the United States. Over the course of a year, 3.5 million people experience homelessness; 1.35 million of them are children.”

Family Promise, a ministry of the Interfaith Hospitality network, is working through churches and congregations as a community response to homeless families.

In most faith homes, a basic tenant teaches the importance – nay the obligation – to support the poor and homeless. This almost universal doctrine, however, is not often practiced for a variety of reasons. Many reasons are valid and can readily change and make the obligation viable with the addition of a support network such as Family Promise.

Family Promise links faith houses with homeless families. The goal is to use the network of social services available to bring the homeless family out of the homeless experience and reinstate them into society as a productive, healthy family unit.

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Family Promise has been working through the faith community in the United States for more than 20 years. The 140 Networks operate in 39 states, utilize more than 110,000 volunteers and have served 220,000 guests.

Family Promise in Tucson
Family Promise is actively recruiting faith homes in Tucson and has thus far received commitments from four churches with others in the process of deciding in their congregational councils. Thirteen congregations are needed to sustain the rotational system most effective in the support and hosting of homeless families.

How it Works
A congregation commits to host a few families with a total number of persons (which must include children) not to exceed 15, for 7 nights in their faith home. After seven days the families are rotated to a second congregational location and so on. The host congregation feeds dinner and breakfast and provides a safe sleeping atmosphere during the night.

Each morning a Family Promise van takes the children to school and the adult family members to a Family Promise property where counseling and life skills are taught, as well as links established with other social services. In the evening the families are returned to the host congregation. In rotation, a congregation has families once every 13 weeks.

To learn more about this unique program, visit www.familypromise.org or contact Pastor Charlie Bowker at bowkersaz@msn.com or (520) 399-9052.

© 2008 Good News Tucson™

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