Emergency Shelter
Our rotational shelter program and warm hospitality is the foundation of the Family Promise model.
Family Promise of Juneau (FPJ) treats all prospective guest families equally and will not discriminate against based on race, national origin, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, genetic information, veteran status, economic situation, marital status or disability. Only families that do not have housing or are threatened by homelessness will be considered, and must meet the following qualifications due to the dependency on volunteers and use of Congregational facilities:
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Family Promise sees family through the eyes of a child. There must always be at least one child 18 years of age or younger at ACCOMPANIED by at least one adult over 18 years of age.
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Family Promise of Juneau WILL NOT accept persons into the program that have the following conditions:
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Active substance abuse; anyone actively fleeing domestic violence; or a history of a sexual crime.
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Background checks shall be conducted for each adult member of a family applying.
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There may be reasons that a family is denied entry into the program. Such denial could result from:
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The family providing false information intentionally; withholding information that is obvious; active alcohol or drug abuse; tendencies for aggressive behavior towards others and loss of self-control in behavior; past record of violent crimes with no proof of rehabilitation; any type of assault convictions or convictions against children; other situations in past records that could possibly be dangerous to other family members, program volunteers and congregational facilities.
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The final and overall significant determination of family selection will be based on the family’s overall ability to thrive within the FPJ program through the services it provides.
Across this country, communities offer hospitality to families through Family Promise Affiliates. The innovative model — using existing space like congregations and volunteers motivated by compassion —has helped hundreds of thousands of children and adults in our national network of 200+ Affiliates. Working with community resources, Family Promise Affiliates provide comprehensive and targeted services, including extensive case management, at 1/3 the cost of traditional shelter. Furthermore, Family Promise Affiliates serve families of all compositions, often providing their only shelter option in a community.
And it works.
On average, 88% of the people served in the shelter program secure housing within nine weeks. Because of the depth of services and community support, families stay housed, and Affiliates provide both prevention and stabilization services to increase their impact.
HOW IT WORKS
The resources are already there. In the community, there are congregations and organizations that can provide space in their buildings to serve as temporary homes. Day Centers, where families can take showers, receive case management, and look for housing and jobs, can be located at a house of worship or agency. There are multiple options for transportation to get families from the host shelters to the Day Center and back. With volunteers giving their time, making meals, and sharing hospitality, family homelessness is addressed without the creation of expensive shelters. Across the country, people have realized that this innovative approach truly makes a difference for families experiencing homelessness—and more than 200,000 volunteers.
These volunteers are the core of the program. They share food, spend the night, play with children and lend their passion and expertise to help families get back on their feet. They prove that motivated people can solve family homelessness. And, in the process, they truly create “home” – and a community – for families who have no place left to turn.
A COMMUNITY RESPONSE
In every community, these core elements exist. By bringing the community together on the issue of family homelessness, Family Promise addresses a major social problem in a holistic, effective way. Once the community becomes engaged, people understand the root causes of family homelessness and take steps to address them. Family Promise Affiliates have created more than 1,700 community initiatives—housing programs, homelessness prevention, childcare and much more—that target the issues of poverty and homelessness on a local level.
A LONG-TERM SOLUTION
Not only does our 88% success rate mean many more families stably housed, it is also a tremendous cost saving to the community as diversion from far more expensive interventions. Our approach of keeping families together, identifying their strengths, and partnering with the community for solutions means that families are at much lower risk of returning to homelessness.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Family Promise changes lives. We served 126,000 parents and children last year, giving them the ability to realize their true potential. We also change the lives of our 200,000 volunteers, giving them a meaningful outreach right in their own communities.