Family Renew Community continues to grow and strive as it helps families rise above their homelessness. For the first time in the history of FRC we are able to measure how effective our programs are over time. We have been able to track our families for the past 18 months and will continue to do so for at least 5 complete years. Families are rising above their situations and circumstances. We found that Families who participated in our program have a 96% success rate for finding stable permanent housing and were able to maintain regular employment. In addition, 83% of our families were also able to earn a higher salary than when they first came to FRC. And, more than 54% of the families were able to receive additional education beyond their high school/GED education.
Families have come directly out of homelessness, often having lived in their vehicles or in a storage unit. By using a Vulnerability Index, we are now better able to prioritize families with the greatest need. These families will receive the highest priority to move into available empty apartments as our waiting list has exceeded over 165 families during the course of a year.
Meeting the specific needs of the families and developing new skills such as better budgeting, job skills, employment search skills, financial management and affordable housing skills are being taught to our Family Renew families. They will be better equipped and prepared to maintain successful lives with stable housing. We have also increased case management to assistant families as they continue on their own after they leave our program. In addition, we are also able to help families maintain their housing status thru homeless prevention funds. This will help families to stay in their own home when there is an unexpected short term inability to pay their rent.
We have also been adding additional services for our children and families. We want to help break the cycle of poverty and homeless by showing our families a better way of success. We have been implementing several experience based programs including nutrition/cooking programs, Makerspace challenge based learning, and vegetable/butterfly gardening. These help our families to experience some new opportunities which can help them try new and exciting things for themselves.
Our Families all tell the story of the triumphs as well as the challenges and problems each family faces. Each family is unique and different but each one is loved and nurtured and it is our hope that they will become the unique personality that God has created them to be. That is the lives that we see at Family Renew Community, families formally homeless now with new leases on life. Just ask the first time Mom taking care of her 3 children, or the Mother starting a marketing job as her son goes off to college, or the Police Recruit starting her career following her successful Academy training. These families have overcome so much and each family is a Miracle of Grace and Mercy. Family Renew Community is dealing with homelessness families with children, one family at a time!
