A New Ministry allowing St. David's to be a better neighbor to those experiencing Homelessness.
With housing insecurity on the rise in Roswell and North Fulton County, St. David’s has an opportunity to Shine a Brighter Light and Be a Better Neighbor in a new way. St. David’s is joining the Family Promise of North Fulton / DeKalb network in two meaningful ways. We will be offering the recently purchased house next to the church as a transitional home for one to two families at a time, who are moving from homelessness into a more stable living environment. While these families are engaged with the Family Promise program, they will also learn financial and other life skills to progress toward self-sufficiency. Having easy and low-cost access to a home for their families is something new to Family Promise, and we are honored that we are able to contribute to their mission in such a significant way.
In addition to transitional housing, St. David’s is partnering to provide a rotational shelter as one of 13 host congregations in the interfaith Family Promise network. This means that once a quarter, for one week at a time, we will host three families experiencing situational homelessness at the Sinclair House, providing them shelter, meals, and social support.
Families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population, remaining mostly unseen, as they couch surf with family or friends, or sleep in their cars. Most of the time, parents have jobs but experience a financial crisis leading to the loss of their homes. The effects on children are detrimental, resulting in depression, developmental delays, and poor academic performance. One out of every four homeless people is a child. Family Promise offers case management with a continuum of care model that includes emergency response, rotational shelter, and housing stabilization, moving families from crisis to stability, all while keeping family units together and minimizing trauma.
The Family Promise of North Fulton / DeKalb chapter was founded in 2012, joining the national network of over 200 affiliates. In 2022 alone, they served over 500 families and 1586 individuals with their programs.
One family, who had been living in their car for several months before coming to Family Promise and recently graduated, had this to say about the care they received from Family Promise: ”We are all working, and they are teenagers, so living in the congregations in one room brought us closer together and we are grateful. We want to give back to Family Promise because they gave so much to us.” The picture below is of them on their front porch.
Becoming a host congregation requires a dedicated team of volunteers of all ages. We will have many opportunities to get involved, and the good news is that this new ministry even provides volunteer opportunities for families. Please click on this link to see the volunteer options available and find what might be a good fit for you.
While it is a lot of work, it is also a meaningful opportunity to offer kindness and comfort to people God places in our path. At St. David’s, we value putting relationships first and loving like Jesus. This new ministry is a wonderful opportunity to bring us into community with those we serve and meaningfully grow our relationships with each other as parish members. Please visit the hall table on August 13, 20, and 27, for more information. And feel free to email or call Claudia Zimmermann.
