A safe place to dream

Thanks to Family Renew Community supporters, more than 110 local children this year had a bed they could count on to be waiting for them night after night.

These children and their parents had been sleeping in cars, on floors or sofas in overcrowded homes of exasperated loved ones, in seedy motels, or worse. When these 60 families arrived at Family Renew Community, the moms and dads were freed from the daily struggle of securing shelter. Instead, they could tuck their children in, wish them sweet dreams, and focus on the hard work of lifting their families out of homelessness for good.

Through the generosity of supporters like you, Family Renew Community has been helping Volusia County families escape desperate situations and restore their lives since 1989. As we enter our 30th year, we’re doing it more efficiently and effectively than ever. On average now, families we serve overcome homelessness in six to seven months, and 96 percent of them remain stably housed afterward.

The goal of our 2018 Year-End Campaign is to raise $30,000 by Dec. 31 to end the nightmare of homelessness quickly and permanently for more families in 2019. If you have not already made a donation, would you be willing to make a special year-end gift of $50, $100 or whatever you can afford to allow a homeless family to dream of a better life?

Housing in our 32 modest, furnished apartments in Holly Hill, Daytona Beach and DeLand is only the beginning of what your donation will help bring to homeless families. With intensive yet compassionate guidance from case managers, mothers and fathers will improve their employment, money management and parenting. They’ll pay down debts, repair credit and build savings. When they’re back out on their own, they’ll be equipped with resources and skills to stay that way.

In the meantime, a more normal childhood — in a home with books and toys and, most important, a familiar bed — may resume at once. That meant the world to Dee, who had to borrow her sister’s car last winter so her toddler and first-grader would have even a vehicle for shelter before she found Family Renew Community. And to Ani and Robert, whose 2-year-old and 5-year-old boys moved with them from motel room to motel room for nearly a year before the family came to us. (Click here to read more 2018 success stories.)

You can give a homeless child a safe, stable place to dream. Please click here or use the “Donate” button above to make your year-end gift. If you prefer, you may mail a check to Family Renew Community, P.O. Box 250123, Holly Hill, FL 32125-0123, Thank you for all you do to help homeless families with children.