JACKSONVILLE AREA CHURCHES COME TOGETHER TO PROVIDE SHELTER TO FAMILIES IN NEED
There are more than 18,000 homeless people in Jacksonville. According to the Emergency Services & Homeless Coalition of Jacksonville, that means that even if all local shelters doubled their number of emergency beds, people would still have to be turned away.
Finding a place to call home poses special problems for homeless families,who face more than just space restrictions. Many also fear that their economic hardship will lead to interference by — or even retribution from — local authorities. Although there arc nearly 160 families in need of transitional housing in Northeast Florida right now, those families try their best to remain invisible.
"You see lots of homeless people downtown and around Jacksonville," says Mark Landschoot, executive director of Family Promise of Jacksonville, a nonprofit, interfaith resource for homeless families. "But you don't sec families. They don't want the authorities to know that their family is in crisis."
The fear among the newly homeless, says Landschoot, is that their children will be taken from them. "They really try to stay out of shelters,$quot; he says. "In some instances, they (the state Department of Children and Families) will take over the custody of the children to protect them, but it's more than the fear of that. I don't know how often that actually happens, but I know there is that perception from people in crisis that, "They are going to take my kids from me."
Landschoot s organization is a network of 14 churches, which works exclusively with homeless families with children. The scenario he typically sees goes something like this: One or both parents lose a job, then they are evicted or foreclosed on. Initially, they use whatever financial resources they have to rent a hotel room or stay at a friend's or family member's house. Eventually, the money or the welcome wears out, and they wind up living in their car. It's only then they start seeking out shelters.
As the economic downturn intensifies, requests for help are increasing. The I.M. Sulzbachcr Center for the Homeless, the city's largest shelter, saw a 13 percent jump in families served in fiscal year 2008-'09 over the previous year. All told, they housed 212 families with 450 children. But finding shelter for families can be difficult. Sulzbacher can house families as a unit, but frequently has a waiting list for those spots; additionally, families that show up in the middle of the night sleep on the dining room floor. Community Connections accepts families, but one of their campuses won't take boys over 8 years old.
The goal of family Promise is to put otherwise empty facilities to good use. The program works with three families at a time and is based at First United Methodist Church, where families have access to laundry and shower facilities, phone and Internet, as well as individual case management assistance.
Each week, the families move to a new church or synagogue where the congregants provide them with space to sleep and three meals a day. Transportation is provided, as are day care and job search assistance. Because the arrangement uses existing facilities and volunteers, Family Promise officials say the program costs approximately a third less to operate than traditional shelters.
"We have a small case load, so it gives me the opportunity to work one-on-one with them and to be actively involved in their lives,$quot;says Becky Bailey, family support manager. "It takes a lot of work. We try to show them the benefits of the many (social services] programs available to them, so they can accomplish their long-term goals$quot;and avoid falling back into homelessness.
Because the program participants' essential needs are met, they are required to save 75 percent of their income. On average, families stay in the program about four months before being able to move into their own home or apartment. That success rate hasn't dimmed the tide of need. Family Promise has seen a 38 percent increase in requests for service over that of last year.
Kathy Nipper, co-volunteer coordinator for Ortega United Methodist, says the churches have embraced the families. "It is truly many hands. We have everything, washing volunteers, meal volunteers, church-sitting volunteers. If there is a birthday that week, we have two ladies that make it special, [and we purchase] special presents the mom may request for the children. This program is just amazing. These facilities are just sitting there empty. It gives the family privacy. No one goes in their rooms. They are guests in our church."
Christina Smith recently graduated from the Family Promise program. After having been "put out" by the father of her two children, she went from living with a friend to almost living on the streets. She credits the program with helping her accomplish her goals, including graduating from cosmetology school and getting her current job at Trade Secret. The 26-year-old mother of two toddlers is now also renting-to-own her own trailer.
"I went from nothing to almost everything," she says. "I had nowhere to go. Family Promise was more like a home setting."
The group's reach is still small — as of its third anniversary in June, Family Promise had helped 25 families — but its mission has become an increasingly important part of the social safety net in these lean economic times. Financial contributions are welcomed, as are donations of toiletry items, cleaning supplies and household goods. And congregations of all faiths are encourage* to participate. For more information, go to familypromisejax.org.
--Dolly Penland
originally appeared in the Folio Weekly on 08/25/09
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