Family Promise of Gainesville, Florida, Inc

Family Promise of Gainesville, Florida, Inc. is committed to helping low-income families, facing homelessness, in the Alachua County area achieve independence. Family Promise is one of the only programs in this area that reaches out to the single-parent, as well as the two-parent family, maintaining the family unit, as they strive to achieve lasting sustainability. Family Promise is striving to end family homelessness, one family at a time! Through the collaborations of local faith communities, Family Promise of Gainesville provides homeless children and their families with compassionate care that includes case management, education, housing, meals and transportation until they can transition to a home of their own.

We utilize a SOAR trained case manager that connects families to other social service resources.
We work with over 500 volunteers throughout the county to create a safety net for families--providing in-kind donations of time, food, and household items.
This volunteer-led program also refers guests to jobs, and provides emotional support for families in need.
In the coming years, we will implement the Housing First model of Rapid Re-housing to move families out of homelessness as quickly as possible.
All basic expenses are paid while guests are in the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Adults in the program are required to be in full-time employment within 30 days of joining our program. Families are required to save 30% of their income, which may be used to pay down debt. Case management and counseling services are provided to the families in both the iHN and Rapid Re-housing programs.

Family Promise of Gainesville, Florida, Inc. partners with 20 or more local congregations that rotate on a weekly basis to provide shelter, meals, hospitality and support services for up to four families and/or 14 people at a time. United Way of Midland grants yearly funding to pay for child daycare. United Way of Midland also funded the grant to purchase three duplexes for the initial phase of Family Promise of Midland's Families Forward Transitional Housing. Counseling services are provided to the families through various community service collaborations.

Progress is measured on a family-by-family basis. The Family Promise Case Manager meets with each family at least once a month to review their progress. The three-strikes-you're-out rule is utilized so that program rules are maintained. Success is measured by the accomplishment of each family's goals, as well as the following:
1. Homeless families will be employed:
• 50% of adults entering shelter without a job and who complete the program will be employed upon leaving shelter (if they can work, i.e., are not disabled).
ACTUAL for 2020 = 55% of all participants
• 45% of those families entering shelter without income, and who complete the program, will leave with income.
ACTUAL for 2020= 55% of all participants
• 80% of those families who complete the program, will maintain or increase household income, and move into permanent housing or transitional housing.
ACTUAL for 2020 = 92% of all program participants

2. All families, with children's birth certificates, who are in the program for more than two weeks are able to achieve childcare/schooling. ACTUAL for 2020 = 100%

3. Homeless families completing the program will acquire suitable housing ACTUAL = 100% of all program graduates, but only 92% of all participants have acquired AND maintained that housing for at least one year after graduation.

WHAT DO WE STILL HOPE TO ACHIEVE? We would like to reduce our average days in shelter to below 30 days. The current level is an average of 89 days in shelter during the pandemic.

Our entire shelter system was destroyed during Covid and this has severely impacted our delivery of services. We are working hard to maintain our shelter and actually ended 2020 with 150% of our previous capacity. Funds are limited for this poritn of our programs, and we appreciate your support.