CHARITY SPOTLIGHT {giving back}
FAMILY PROMISE Offering families a hand up Jamie Killin | Web Editor
THE STORY Family Promise of Greater Phoenix began 20 years ago when two Phoenix Rotary members recognized the family homelessness epidemic and wanted to make a change. They visited a friend that operated an interfaith hospitality shelter in Indiana and decided to bring the concept back to Arizona. Two years later, in 1998, they began welcoming families to Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. “They started on a shoestring,” said executive director Ted Taylor. “I came in eight and a half years ago and we tripled at that point — from 30 families to 100 families — and now we’re getting ready to do it again.” Over the years, Family Promise has grown, become debt-free, and started a partnership with PetSmart that allowed the Greater Phoenix location — and several others nationwide — to accommodate families with pets in an on-site pet shelter. Through a unique interfaith network approach, Family Promise is able to keep costs low and improve the probability of success by providing families with a place to eat dinner and sleep at a local congregation. 38 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | OCTOBER 2018
“We’re a very different kind of shelter,” Taylor explained. “There are five shelters for homeless families here in the Valley but we are the only interfaith network shelter. So instead of sleeping families here in beds and then eating here, we partner with the community. We actually shuttle families to hosting congregations every night — four families per congregation. They’re going to eat their evening meal there, they’re going to have activities there, they’re going to sleep there on Coleman blow-up mattresses, and the congregation is going to provide the dinner at no cost.” Not only do congregations provide shelter and food — they also provide love and the critical healing component families overcoming homelessness need. “No matter how many social workers we have, it takes a certain amount of love just to repair the damage. That’s a critical piece,” said Taylor. “The second piece is that we have an amazing team of social workers that are focused. They know how it works. They know how to keep families motivated.” Through Family Promise, families receive clothing, childcare, cash management education and resources that connect them to jobs and schools that help stabilize them.
