congregationalchurch.org
3700 26th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34205
(941) 756-34205
manateeunitedmethodist.com
315 15th Street East
Bradenton, Florida 34208
(941) 746-0101
Coordinator: Mike Tippett
5601 16th Avenue East
Palmetto, FL 34221
(941) 729-6055
Coordinator: Bev Mattie
stmarymagdalene.info
11215 Palm Brush Trail
Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
(941) 741-5048
Coordinator: Gracie Wiedeman
www.stmarysflorida.com
1010 24th Avenue West
Palmetto, FL 34221
(941) 722-5292
Coordinator: Geri MacDonald
Local Networks incorporate as independent, nonprofit organizations and become affiliates of Family Promise. The national organization helps start new Networks working with a core organizing group and providing training to the Network Director, all coordinators, and the first volunteers. Once the organization becomes operational, Family Promise provides ongoing technical assistance, materials, training and educational support.
Family Promise is a not for profit with a 501(c)3 designation. Funds are raised locally from individuals, congregations, foundations and corporations. If you are interested in donating, please go to our donation page to see how easy it is to share in this ministry.
No, the Network Director works with the school system and Project Heart to ensure that the children are able to attend school. They Day Center is the permanent address of the Network. Children go the school they have been attending or to the school nearest the Day Center.
Moving every week isn’t ideal, but most families say that the homelike setting and the support of volunteers makes their stay a comfortable one. The Day Center help provides continuity and a home base for families as they look for homes and jobs. The Day Center also provides a permanent address that families can use in their housing and job search.
Referring agencies include shelters, public assistance offices, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Community Coalition on Homelessness, and Manatee Religious Services. At the Day Center, the Case Manager conducts an in-depth interview before accepting the family into the Network
The guest guidelines call for a maximum stay of 30-60 days. Network directors can make a decision to allow a family to stay longer as long as they are making a good faith effort to find housing and/or employment. In Manatee County, where there is a shortage of affordable housing and employment, finding a home and a job can take longer than 60 days.
Congregations provide shelter and meals. In addition, congregations are asked to provide a central space in which families can watch TV, movies or fellowship. While parents relax and catch up with each other in the evenings, volunteers can spend time playing with the children. Depending on the ages of the children, special activities like arts and crafts are great ways for them to express their creativity. Congregations may want to invite guests to participate in congregational activities that go on during the week such as youth group, fellowship dinners.
Houses of worship are very busy places with many demands on their space. Rarely, does a perfect space exist. Hosting almost always means some scheduling adjustments for activities and meetings. For example, four or five times a year a Bible Study or community meeting may need to move their week day meeting to another room.
Facilities must include dining area, kitchen, bathrooms, sleeping accommodations and a lounge area. Ideally, congregations provide separate rooms for each family. If that isn’t possible, a fellowship hall or other large room can be divided by partitions to provide privacy. A couple of our congregations use tents to provide privacy in their fellowship hall.
A van provided by the network and a volunteer van driver transport families from the congregations to the day center each day.
Delia Smith-Orth is our Program Coordinator. Delia provides case management services to families of the day center, transitional housing and post placement permanent housing. She will oversees daily operation of the Family Promise day center, and provides the following essential functions.
- ASSESSMENT AND SCREENING – Screens and evaluates families for appropriate acceptance into the day center based upon program guidelines. Ensures alternate services are made available to families not accepted into the program.
- SERVICE DELIVERY – Provides orientation to all new families. With adult family members, develops an individualized independent living plan (ILP) to be reviewed weekly. Assures that Family programs and services are professional and outcome based as per agency guidelines. Monitors families for 1 year post placement.
- DOCUMENTATION –Maintains full and current documentation including intake documentation, bi weekly transitional housing inspections, progress notes, housing search logs, consent forms.
- DAY CENTER OPERATIONS – Assures that programs, services, staff and volunteer interactions and physical plant conditions present a strong, positive image in keeping with the mission of FP.
- VOLUNTEERS – recruits, trains and supervises day center volunteers. Schedules volunteers in keeping with center needs and each volunteer’s preferences and skills. Monitors appropriate volunteer work assignments and productivity. Assists with training congregational volunteers as directed.
Homeless and low-income families are more likely than other families to experience chronic illness, domestic violence, shortened life span, infant death, and learning disabilities. The homeless are significantly less likely than housed people to commit a violent crime.
Requests for emergency shelter by families increased in 68% of cities in 2006. US cities saw an average increase of 9% in shelter requests by families. 29% of shelter requests by families were unmet.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 36 million people, including 14 million children, experience hunger.
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Families are among the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, representing about 41% of all homeless people.
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According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau report, approximately 12.6% of the total U.S. population lives in poverty. One out of every five children lives in poverty.
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The gap between the amount of affordable housing units available and the number of people who need them is about 4.4 million units. Public housing authorities and Section 8 vouchers (the federal assistance program for affordable housing) have a typical waiting period of 35 months.
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An individual earning the minimum wage would have to work 108 hours per week in order to afford an average two bedroom apartment.
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On any given night, an estimated 842,000 people are homeless. Over the course of a year, 3.5 million people experience homelessness, 1.35 million of them children.
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Our current Interim Executive Director is Julie West. Julie has worked throughout her career with agencies that provide assistance to those facing homelessness and poverty. She is grateful for the opportunity to implement so much of what she has learned over the years in such a meaningful way.
Our Executive Director works with the churches and agencies to provide the structure that will enable the needs of our guest families to be met. The Director helps to train volunteers, secures host and support churches, and reaches out to the community to share the story of Family Promise.
The Director works with local social service agencies to help them refer families to the Network. The Director does a needs assessment for the guest families and connects them to the agencies that can provide the most appropriate help - housing, jobs, training, and other services.
Julie can be reached by calling 941-748-4740 or by email at: Execdir@familypromiseofmanateecounty.org
http://www.suncoastpartnership.com/
The Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed in 2005. Its mission is to prevent and reduce homelessness through collaborating with civic leaders and provider agencies, promoting community engagement and awareness, and advocating on behalf of homeless people and their service providers.
www.annunciationami.org
4408 Gulf Dr
Holmes Beach, FL 34217
(941) 778-1638
Coordinator: Gretchen Edgren
941-725-1686 (cell)
Jim@Bodeonline.org
