![Clockwise, from the bottom left, are Nia Parker, Erica Parker, Angela Hollis and Benjamin Baucum. Hollis and Baucum, among other volunteers with West Florida Baptist Church, helped build raised gardens for Family Promise homeless shelters, which benefit families like the Parkers. [Special to the Press Gazette]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-4d499a79-d58d-2d0c-e053-0100007f2a3f-0d9b067e-scaled.jpeg)
Editor’s Note: This continues our Celebrate Community series on nonprofit organizations that improve Santa Rosa County residents’ quality of life.
MILTON — Since 2006, Family Promise Santa Rosa’s mission has been to help homeless families find stability.
“The mission statement is to move children and families from crisis to self-sufficiency by providing temporary housing and supportive services,” Shane Nation, the nonprofit organization’s executive director, said.
Broken households contribute toward many families’ homelessness, Nation said.
“The spouse has left,” he said. “There’s been a divorce or other circumstance. It’s the most common reason a family becomes homeless.”
Family Promise’s statistics show 65 percent of the families it helps have a single mother; 25 percent include couples; and 10 percent are single dads.
Other reasons include eviction, sickness and job loss, according to Nation.
ENCOURAGING THE HOPELESS
A part of Nation’s job is to provide encouragement.
“When a family is in crisis, a lot has gone on before. A lot are scared or discouraged or don’t know what else to do,” he said.
People become discouraged when 15 businesses have turned them down for a job, but Nation encourages them to keep trying and apply for No. 16.
Some of Family Promise’s services include budgeting classes, case management, parenting education, job or permanent housing placement and providing life skills training.
However, the process requires participants’ time and discipline.
“When families come in, they have to agree to all the rules,” Nation said. “I tell them, ‘I’ll be in your business. You have to be accountable for every minute and every penny. I’ll ask you the hard questions.’”
For example, he will ask families why they might be $20 short on their budget.
“You’re not allowed to eat out; no Red Box movies. Eating out does not get you on your feet,” Nation said. “It’s about helping you realize your decisions today affect your tomorrow.”
If a family is used to eating fast food every day, he won’t cut them off entirely, but will teach members how to budget for it.
“I’m not going to be a total butt about it, but you can’t spend willy-nilly,” he said.
OPTIONS FOR HELP
Family Promise supports families through three tiers of housing: homeless housing, transitional housing and reduced-rate rentals.
The homeless housing program once operated by having families stay with various churches at night. Churches still donate meals for homeless families, but the families now stay at two homes Family Promise constructed, according to Nation.
Churches currently assisting the nonprofit’s families are First Baptist Church of Milton, St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church of Bagdad, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Pine Terrace Baptist Church, Friendship Baptist Church, Bay Area Vineyard and First United Methodist Church of Milton.
“For transitional housing, the rent is cheaper, but families still have to budget and be accountable,” Nation said.
As with the first two programs, the low-income rental program is only for families with small children.
“In 2016, we had 10 families that came through the homeless portion of the program, four families that came through transitional housing program, and 13 that were served through affordable rentals,” Nation said.
Family Promise helps all these families with a limited budget.
“We don’t receive any government funding,” Nation said. “We’re totally funded within the community. [We have] a lot of freedom in how we serve, but we run on a shoestring.”
THE CURRENT NEEDS
One of Family Promise’s major fundraisers is its annual spring sale, which features home and automotive items, clothing, furniture, bicycles and electronics, among other items.
This year’s event, held April 8, reportedly raised $14,000, but there are still plenty of needs, such as more church involvement, transportation and south-end housing, according to Nation.
“Half of the families that come in don’t have vehicles, so their first job has to be somewhere they can get a ride to or walk to from our office here at the day center,” Nation said.
Family Promise works with local towing companies, according to Nation, to find vehicles that still run for $500 to $1,000.
There also are some geographical challenges.
Family Promise’s Office and Day Center, located at 6796 Alice St., in Milton, is convenient for North Santa Rosa residents, but the distance may prove challenging for families on Santa Rosa’s southern end, according to Nation.
“A (South Santa Rosa) family with kids in school, we really can’t bring up here because logistically we can’t get down there in a reasonable amount of time,” Nation said.
“Basically, if a family needs to be served down there, they have to change schools.”
See www.familypromisesrc.org for more information on this nonprofit organization’s services
ONLINE
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: FROM CRISIS TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY