New 'Family Promise' program aims to help north shore's homeless: Slidell Town Talk
By on June 30, 2014 at 6:38 PM
When the topic of homelessness is discussed in the metro New Orleans area, Slidell, Mandeville and Abita Springs are not usually mentioned. But a new program, called Family Promise, is organizing to help families in St. Tammany Parish who have no place to go and also change the perception that the homeless only live under bridges in the big cities.
An average of 17 families in St. Tammany find themselves with no place to call home on any given night, say organizers of a new local chapter of the national Family Promise program. They say they hope to start operations in the first quarter of 2015 to help families find their way back to permanent homes.
"Many don't perceive we have a homeless problem in this parish," said Jan Robert, Executive Director of Northshore Healthcare Alliance and one of the project's organizers. "It is invisible to many people, but the situation for these families is very real."
Family Promise works to help families who are not necessarily chronically homeless but have experienced a life-changing event, such as unemployment or a serious illness, and have lost their homes due to the circumstances, Robert said.
The program's template is simple. Thirteen church congregations commit to host up to 14 people, or approximately four families, at night for one week, once a quarter. Space at the church would be turned into sleeping rooms for the week.
Volunteers from the host church will stay with the families from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. and provide dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. "One of the most important things provided to the family members, besides safe shelter, is the fellowship shared between the volunteers and their guests," Robert said.
After breakfast, the family members will be driven to a centralized day center. There, the adults will meet with social services and financial counselors, and children can be taken to school. The day center will house shower and laundry facilities for guest use. It will also act as a permanent address for the guest families until they get settled in their new housing.
Robert has six churches that have committed to the program so far, but seven more families are needed. Each church will need between 40 and 50 volunteers to help with the families during their one-week stay.
The need for such a program is great, Robert said. St. Tammany Parish does not have a shelter to house entire families together. The Miramon Center in Slidell is a shelter for homeless men. Women and children can find help at The Caring Center in Slidell and Safe Harbor.
"We have the support of St. Tammany Parish government and the Northshore Community Foundation to get this program off the ground," Robert said. She believes it is also an excellent opportunity for site-based mission work.
St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church and the Good Samaritan Ministry, which is housed at St. Luke, have committed to work together for the program.
"This is a great way for people who care about their community to get involved," said Good Sam's Ministry Director Sue Rotolo.
The success rate for families to move through the Family Promise program nationwide is about 75 percent, according to Robert. There are more than 180 program sites in the United States, and about 20 percent of the families that enter the program find new housing on their own. In 2013, 182 Family Promise affiliates served 12,178 guests, or approximately 3,600 families. More than 7,000 of those guests were children, and the average stay in the program was 63 days.
"Families will be screened before entering the program," Robert said. "We are not able to address substance abuse issues."
Referrals will come from the public school system and other agencies. St. Tammany parish schools have a program that help identify students without permanent housing. Once a family is admitted to Family Promise, an individual plan of action will be outlined, based on the family's needs, Roberts said.
To make this program a reality in St. Tammany Parish by the new year, Robert and her project team have their work cut out for them. They still the following help:
• Seven churches to step up and commit their spaces for quarterly stays.
• A site, preferably in the middle of the parish, to set up the day center.
• A 15-passenger van to provide transportation to and from the sleeping centers.
• Donations to help the program function. They can be made through the Northshore Community Foundation.
"There is a lot of work to be done, but this is something that is needed in St. Tammany Parish," Robert said. "It will make a huge difference in the lives of the people it serves."
For more information about the Family Promise program here in St. Tammany Parish, contact Jan Robert at jan@jmrobert.com or 985-789-1382.
An average of 17 families in St. Tammany find themselves with no place to call home on any given night, say organizers of a new local chapter of the national Family Promise program. They say they hope to start operations in the first quarter of 2015 to help families find their way back to permanent homes.
"Many don't perceive we have a homeless problem in this parish," said Jan Robert, Executive Director of Northshore Healthcare Alliance and one of the project's organizers. "It is invisible to many people, but the situation for these families is very real."
Family Promise works to help families who are not necessarily chronically homeless but have experienced a life-changing event, such as unemployment or a serious illness, and have lost their homes due to the circumstances, Robert said.
The program's template is simple. Thirteen church congregations commit to host up to 14 people, or approximately four families, at night for one week, once a quarter. Space at the church would be turned into sleeping rooms for the week.
Volunteers from the host church will stay with the families from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. and provide dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. "One of the most important things provided to the family members, besides safe shelter, is the fellowship shared between the volunteers and their guests," Robert said.
After breakfast, the family members will be driven to a centralized day center. There, the adults will meet with social services and financial counselors, and children can be taken to school. The day center will house shower and laundry facilities for guest use. It will also act as a permanent address for the guest families until they get settled in their new housing.
Robert has six churches that have committed to the program so far, but seven more families are needed. Each church will need between 40 and 50 volunteers to help with the families during their one-week stay.
The need for such a program is great, Robert said. St. Tammany Parish does not have a shelter to house entire families together. The Miramon Center in Slidell is a shelter for homeless men. Women and children can find help at The Caring Center in Slidell and Safe Harbor.
"We have the support of St. Tammany Parish government and the Northshore Community Foundation to get this program off the ground," Robert said. She believes it is also an excellent opportunity for site-based mission work.
St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church and the Good Samaritan Ministry, which is housed at St. Luke, have committed to work together for the program.
"This is a great way for people who care about their community to get involved," said Good Sam's Ministry Director Sue Rotolo.
The success rate for families to move through the Family Promise program nationwide is about 75 percent, according to Robert. There are more than 180 program sites in the United States, and about 20 percent of the families that enter the program find new housing on their own. In 2013, 182 Family Promise affiliates served 12,178 guests, or approximately 3,600 families. More than 7,000 of those guests were children, and the average stay in the program was 63 days.
"Families will be screened before entering the program," Robert said. "We are not able to address substance abuse issues."
Referrals will come from the public school system and other agencies. St. Tammany parish schools have a program that help identify students without permanent housing. Once a family is admitted to Family Promise, an individual plan of action will be outlined, based on the family's needs, Roberts said.
To make this program a reality in St. Tammany Parish by the new year, Robert and her project team have their work cut out for them. They still the following help:
• Seven churches to step up and commit their spaces for quarterly stays.
• A site, preferably in the middle of the parish, to set up the day center.
• A 15-passenger van to provide transportation to and from the sleeping centers.
• Donations to help the program function. They can be made through the Northshore Community Foundation.
"There is a lot of work to be done, but this is something that is needed in St. Tammany Parish," Robert said. "It will make a huge difference in the lives of the people it serves."
For more information about the Family Promise program here in St. Tammany Parish, contact Jan Robert at jan@jmrobert.com or 985-789-1382.
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