Fort Bend

1
Fort Bend Family Promise

A Fort Bend Community-wide Response to Area
Homeless Families
2
Fort Bend Family Promise
Decent Housing - Often Out of Reach

• AFFORDABLE HOUSING NOT WIDELY AVAILABLE
  IN ANY U.S. MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA

• AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS HOUSING COST
• UTILITIES EQUALS 30 OR LESS OF INCOME.

• Nearly 1 in 4 households report spending
  more than 30 of income
  on housing

• FULL TIME WORKER MUST EARN 15.37/HOUR TO AFFORD
  RENT ON A 2-BEDROOM APARTMENT.

• A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION EARNS
  LESS THAN 10.00/HOUR.

3
Family Promise - National Statistics

• OVER 120 ESTABLISHED SUPPORTED FAMILY PROMISE
  NETWORKS 60 PLUS BEING DEVELOPED.

• ENABLED OVER 2800 CONGREGATIONS OF ALL
  DENOMINATIONS TO WORK TOGETHER IN OUTREACH
  MINISTRY.

• ENABLED OVER 100,000 PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER IN
  NETWORK PROGRAMS ANNUALLY.

• HELPED APPROXIMATELY 75 OF
  GUEST FAMILIES FIND
  PERMANENT HOUSING.

• ASSISTED MORE THAN 6000 ADULTS IN
  JOB SEARCH OR JOB TRAINING
  PROGRAMS ANNUALLY.

4
Fort Bend Family Promise

• FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN ARE THE FASTEST GROWING
  POPULATIONS OF HOMELESS.

• FAMILY SCREENING
• Children with at least one parent.

2. No Chemical Dependencies.
3. Fort Bend County Resident.
4. Homeless.
5
Fort Bend Family Promise
BOARD of TRUSTEES

• Jim Uschkrat 2007 Board President
• Bob Burton 2007 Vice President
• John Trevathan, Jr. Treasurer
• Karen Jennings Secretary
• Kira Halcarz Christ United Methodist
• Sandy Reed Former guest of FBFP
• Robert Wareing All Saints Episcopal
• Duane McCullough Former President
• Sandra Hart New Hope Lutheran
• Ben Svoboda First Presbyterian of Sugar Land

6
Fort Bend Family Promise

• TWO PAID STAFF
• Lyn Storm,
• Executive Director
• Darlene Masters (part time)

• FAMILY CENTER
• NEW HOPE
• LUTHERAN CHURCH

7
Fort Bend Family Promise Family Center 2006
8
Fort Bend Family Promise

• HOST CONGREGATIONS
• Provide Evening Meal
• Provide Overnight Housing
• Provide Breakfast/Lunch Meals
• Van Drivers/Move Beds
• Financial Assistance
• Family Center Volunteers

• SUPPORT CONGREGATIONS
• Work with Host Congregations
• Provide Volunteers to Host Congregations
• Financial Assistance

9
Fort Bend Family Promise
HOST CONGREGATIONS

• First United Methodist Missouri City
• New Hope Lutheran Missouri City
• Southminster Presbyterian Missouri City
• All Saints Episcopal Stafford
• First Presbyterian Sugar Land
• Christ United Methodist Sugar Land
• River Pointe Church Richmond
• Parkway United Methodist Sugar Land
• St. Martins Lutheran Sugar Land

10
Fort Bend Family Promise
SUPPORT CONGREGATIONS

• Saint Laurence Parish Sugar Land
• Colony Creek Community Church Mo City
• Faith United Methodist - Richmond
• Joy Lutheran - Richmond

11
Fort Bend Family Promise
Bringing Light into the Community

• FOR GUESTS
• Safe, homelike shelter where families can
  stay together.
• Guests cite the caring of volunteers as one
  of the most
• important benefits. I never knew so many
  people cared.
• Intensive case management by the network
  director to
• assist in finding housing, jobs and in
  meeting other needs.
• On average, 75 of guest families secure
  permanent
• housing.

12
Fort Bend Family Promise
Bringing Light into the Community

• FOR VOLUNTEERS
• Opportunity to help homeless families directly,
  to make a difference.
• Opportunity to work in an outreach mission with
  their own church or synagogue and with other
  congregations.
• Wide range of volunteer activities to fit
  varying schedules and levels of commitment.
• Opportunity for families to volunteer together.
  

13
Fort Bend Family Promise
Bringing Light into the Community

• FOR CONGREGATIONS
• Opportunity for outreach ministry within the
• congregation's own facilities focusing on the
• needs of people in the community.
• Opportunity for participation in a community
  interfaith
• project.
• Increased sense of community among members as
  they
• work together in shared mission.
  

14
Fort Bend Family Promise
Bringing Light into the Community

• FOR COMMUNITY
• Cost-efficient mobilization of community
  resources Offsets an equivalent local
  government expenditure of over half a million
  dollars per Family Promise network
• Does not duplicate services already in the
  community
• works with social service agencies to provide
  counseling,
• job training, help with housing search, etc.
• Does not institutionalize shelter as a solution
  to
• homelessness.
• Becomes a catalyst for other community
  initiatives, such
• as job counseling, parenting workshops,
  transitional
• housing, etc.

15
Fort Bend Family Promise Goals for 2008

• Celebrate 4th year of operation
• Continue to improve funding base from supporting
  congregations, grants and corporation partnering
  programs
• Strategic Plan to involve more area congregations
  in network for both hosting and support
• Enhance services to homeless guest parents and
  children better online access, counseling,
  transportation assistance
• Additional visibility and media publicity in
  community
• Grow volunteer base and training
• Improve Family Center building and safety
• Expand Board of Directors Community Advisory
  Board
• Move towards the longer term vision of two
  networks, one on each side of the Brazos.