Fort Bend Family Promise Partners with HUMI to House Families

This initiative is part of Family Promise’s national effort to engage communities in addressing family homelessness holistically.

Fort Bend Family Promise was selected as a pilot in a national partnership between Family Promise and Help Us Move In (HUMI), a Washington state-based nonprofit working with communities to fund and create programs helping families facing housing crises.The model is based on the shared beliefs of the two organizations that a combination of case management, opportunity, and community can empower the families we serve toward self-sufficiency. The mission of the partnership is simple: to ensure children are Homeless No More.

Fort Bend Family Promise is one of ten Family Promise Affiliates selected, from Florida to Oregon.Each will receive a $20,000 Homeless No More Challenge Grant from HUMI over two years ($10,000 per year) to launch a program aimed at sustainable prevention and rehousing for families experiencing homelessness.The grants are not hand-outs: each Affiliate must raise an initial $10,000 before HUMI awards their $10,000 grant.Further, the Affiliate is then expected to engage the community and match the funds with another $20,000 each year.This double challenge match is designed to reinforce a self-sustaining habit of contributions from the community going forward.

Fort Bend Family Promise will establish a Working Group consisting of a board member, staff representative, Family Promise regional director, HUMI representative, and other interested parties to manage the program within the community.The Affiliate will identify families to receive assistance using the best practice requirements they employ for their client intake process and determine how much temporary assistance each family needs to successfully move into and support a stable home.The funds are restricted to rental assistance, housing arrears, and move-in expenses, including security deposits.The goal of the Challenge Funds is a 50/50 balance between preventing family evictions and assisting families with move-in costs.

“We are thrilled to partner with HUMI,” said Family Promise President Claas Ehlers. “In order to effectively address homelessness, we need to utilize the resources already existing in the community. HUMI helps our Affiliates expand their holistic approach toward preventing families from becoming homeless in the first place and stabilizing families when they regain their housing. We hope this national pilot is just the start of an effort to ensure that thousands of children are not homeless.”

The program has multiple benefits:

• Supplements existing rehousing/prevention programs
• Helps families who may not qualify for existing programs
• Creates community awareness and engagement on the issue of family homelessness
• Builds lasting relationships with landlords
• Expands an Affiliateâ€s programming base
• Puts children and families into homes

Help Us Move In Executive Director Sharah Schereris enthusiastic about the two organizations working together. “Since 2001, we have helped over 1,700 children move into permanent housing. HUMI is very excited to partner with Family Promise and multiply the impact for vulnerable families across the United States to become HOMELESS NO MORE!”

Other Affiliates selected for the initial pilot are: Verdugos (CA), Greater Denver (CO), Northern New Castle County (DE), Brevard (FL), Grand Rapids (MI), Morris County/Union County (NJ), Salem (OR), Greater Roanoke (VA), and Washington County (WI).The goal is to expand the program to 25 next year, using best practices identified in the pilot.