Letter from the Director

We often talk about what families facing homelessness gain by entering our Bridge and New Leaf Programs. We seldom, if ever, talk about what it “costs” them. Like most of us, families who lose their housing have been living a certain way and have been holding it together for a long time. Then, something or some things happen that send a family into crisis. The lucky ones (in my opinion) find Family Promise and go through a thorough intake process. From the beginning, families must be willing to:

• Acknowledge they are in an untenable situation
• Commit to hard work
• Share their financial history
• Consider alternative behaviors
• Be completely transparent
• Be held accountable for their actions and decisions
• Adhere to a strict schedule
• Interact respectfully with volunteers
• Follow an austere budget including mandatory saving
• Attend all case management meetings and workshops
• Invest in their own success
• Be willing to change

As adults, many of us would have difficulty living under the scrutiny of a program which demands rigorous honesty and accountability. But this is exactly what our families do. They are committed to making real positive change in their lives and becoming self-sufficient. In doing so, they are able to create lives in which their families can thrive.

When I hear people speak about families who are homeless in a negative way, I take the opportunity to point out all that it takes to participate in a program such as ours. We often say that Family Promise is not a “hand out” but offers a “hand up”. We must remember that families who are successful in our programs are willing to grab onto that hand with all their might and with fierce determination. It is only then that the program works and the families flourish.