Emergency Shelter
Family Promise of Juneau (FPJ) provides emergency shelter and compassionate support, helping families stay safe, stabilize their lives, and take steps toward lasting independence.
FPJ treats all prospective guest families equally and does not discriminate based on race, national origin, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, genetic information, veteran status, economic situation, marital status, or disability.
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Only families without stable housing or those at risk of homelessness are considered, and they must meet certain qualifications due to our reliance on volunteers and congregational facilities:
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Child-Focused:
Families must include at least one child 18 years or younger accompanied by at least one adult over 18.
Exclusions:
FPJ cannot accept individuals with active substance abuse issues or a history of sexual crimes.
Background Checks:
All adult family members are subject to background checks.
Other Considerations:
Families may be denied entry for providing false information, withholding obvious information, active substance abuse, aggressive behavior, violent criminal history without proof of rehabilitation, or other factors that could pose a risk to other families, volunteers, or facilities.
The final decision is based on the family’s ability to thrive within FPJ’s program and benefit from the services we provide.
Family Eligibility & Guidelines
Across the country, communities provide hospitality to families through Family Promise Affiliates. Using existing spaces like congregations and volunteers driven by compassion, this innovative model has helped hundreds of thousands of children and adults in our national network of 200+ Affiliates. Working with local resources, Affiliates offer comprehensive services—including case management—at roughly one-third the cost of traditional shelters. They serve families of all compositions, often providing the only shelter option available in a community.
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And it works.
On average,
88% of families
in the shelter program secure housing within nine weeks.
With strong community support and targeted services, families remain housed, and Affiliates provide prevention and stabilization programs to maximize long-term impact.​
Proven Impact
Community Solutions
The resources are already here. Congregations and local organizations can provide space in their buildings to serve as temporary homes for families. Day Centers—where families can shower, receive case management, and search for housing or jobs—can be hosted at houses of worship or local agencies. Transportation options ensure families can get between host shelters and Day Centers. With volunteers providing meals, companionship, and hospitality, family homelessness can be addressed without building costly shelters. Across the country, this innovative approach has engaged over 200,000 volunteers, making a real difference for families in need.
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Volunteers are the Heart
​Volunteers are the core of the program. They share meals, spend nights with families, play with children, and offer their skills and care to help families regain stability. Their dedication proves that motivated communities can solve family homelessness while creating “home” and a supportive community for families who have nowhere else to turn.
Building Community Solutions
In every community, the core elements to address family homelessness already exist. Family Promise brings communities together to tackle this issue in a holistic and effective way. By engaging neighbors, volunteers, and local organizations, people gain a deeper understanding of the root causes of family homelessness and take action to address them. Across the country, Family Promise Affiliates have launched over 1,700 local initiatives—including housing programs, prevention services, childcare, and more—that directly combat poverty and homelessness in their communities.
Long-Term Stability
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.
Family Promise Changes Live
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.