Board of Commissioners proclaim Family Promise Week

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 16, 2019

On October 15, the Washington County Board of Commissioners proclaimed October 20 through 27, 2019 as National Family Promise Week to raise awareness that every child deserves a home and acknowledge the work of nonprofit and faith-based partnerships working to end homelessness for families with children. The Washington County Department of Housing Services coordinates a countywide response to homelessness and recognizes Family Promise as a best practice model in supporting homeless families on their journey to housing stability.

Nationally, Family Promise Week will be celebrated in 200+ communities where there is a Family Promise Affiliate. Since 1988, Family Promise has helped more than 950,000 people—men, women and children—with housing, case management and other services. Family Promise works on the principle that the elements to help children and their families are already in the community. The program brings together houses of worship to provide temporary homes, facilities to provide space during the day for case management, and most importantly, volunteers who, by sharing a few hours of their time, enable families to turn their lives around.

Family Promise of Washington County opened in 1999, Family Promise of Beaverton opened in 2018 and Family Promise of Tualatin Valley opened in 2019. The shelters are Affiliates of Family Promise and proud to be part of a nationwide effort to help children and families who are homeless regain their sustainable independence. In Washington County, more than 1,350 volunteers from local faith-based congregations support this work. Since 2005, Family Promise shelter participant demographics have been captured in the County’s Homeless Management Information System that reports 149 families have been assisted on their journey from homelessness to housing stability. Because of the extent of in-kind contributions, Family Promise shelters in Washington County help 11 family households at any point in time despite a very low budget – while at the same time building community between its volunteers and the families served in the program.

Family Promise Giving Day is October 25, an opportunity to create community awareness of the crisis of family homelessness and to volunteer or donate to a local Family Promise shelter:

• Ms. Annie Heart, Executive Director, Family Promise of Washington County
  P.O. Box 4073, Hillsboro, OR 97124
  503-844-2919
  
• Ms. Jolene Guptill, Executive Director, Family Promise of Beaverton
  P.O. Box 1932, Beaverton, OR 97075
  971-217-8949
  
• Ms. Rose Money, Executive Director, Family Promise of Tualatin Valley
  P.O. Box 230273, Tigard, OR 97281
  503-427-2768

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