Feb 234 min read

FAMILY PROMISE FIVE: A LIFE WITHOUT A HOME

Updated: Feb 24

The Family Promise Five is a weekly update that focuses on the FIVE topics, issues, events, volunteer opportunities or needs of Family Promise Waukesha County. This communication will update, inform and advocate for families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Here is the Family Promise Five for February 23, 2024.

Our mission is to help low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence

through a community-based response.

The Family Promise Five for February 23 are:

EMERGENCY OVERFLOW SHELTER Q&A
A COUCH IS NOT A HOME
WELCOME SHAYLA CAREY
FROM HOMELESSNESS TO HOME: YOU ARE THE KEY
SPREAD THE WORD

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do.”

― Jana Stanfield

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Thank you to our volunteers who helped clean Z’s house. Her closing date has been moved back to early March, but she is almost there. We also thank those who helped clean the Emergency Overflow Shelter.

POLL OF THE WEEK

Mark all the situations that you would characterize a person as homeless .

1. EMERGENCY OVERFLOW SHELTER Q&A

Questions we have been hearing about EOS since it closed

Mission

Since the closing of the Winter Emergency Overflow Shelter was announced, we have heard some questions about this development. We hope this Q+ A will help provide some clarity regarding the program.

EOS Q & A

To learn more about the direction of Family Promise of Waukesha County, join us for the Family Promise Forum on March 6 at either 12PM or 6PM.

2. A COUCH IS NOT A HOME

NY Times article profiles of homelessness include a FP client

Accompaniment

A recent New York Times article, A Life Without a Home, captures the many forms of homelessness and the impact it has. Often we think of homelessness as those living on the streets. Unfortunately, there are a significant number of individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness under the radar by doubling up with families, sleeping in tents, cars and in motels. It is enlightening to hear their stories.

One of the individuals interviewed is Michelle Schultz from Waukesha. Michelle has been working with Family Promise of Waukesha County. She states that she has been couch surfing for ten years. She identifies many of the challenges of living doubled up and how the system does not recognize her as homeless. The article accurately shares that, “the Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t recognize doubling up as homelessness, which can mean that families and individuals who live with others — by necessity, not choice — lose out on essential government services and benefits.” Another challenge for her has been securing housing without a rental history.

Living doubled up is not a unique situation. “In 2022, public schools counted 1,205,292 homeless students, 76 percent of whom were doubled up.”

In the statistics from the Department of Public Instruction for 2020, 82% of Waukesha County students experiencing homelessness are doubled up. Please note schools follow the Department of Education's classification of homelessness which includes being doubled up. Most shelters follow HUD's criteria because HUD manages the grant funding for shelters.

Read the Article

POLL OF THE WEEK

Mark ALL situations that you would consider "homeless" if they are sleeping in the following situation in lieu of their own apartment or house.

0%Street, park, bus terminal
0%A static site shelter facility
0%An apartment used as shelter
0%A tent

You can vote for more than one answer.

3. WELCOME SHAYLA CAREY

New Family Advocate to work with shelter program

Staff

Family Promise of Waukesha County welcomes Shayla Carey to our team. Shayla will work as a Family Advocate providing case management to families in the Apartment Shelter Program. Shayla has a bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Williams Bay College and is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Child Welfare from Aurora College in Illinois. She has previously served as a case manager for My Choice and Child Protective Services.

MEET SHAYLA CAREY

4. FROM HOMELESSNESS TO HOME: YOU ARE THE KEY

Sponsor the golf outing and show your support for families experiencing homelessness.

Volunteer/Donors

Become a sponsor of the Family Promise of Waukesha County Golf Outing. The outing will be held on Monday, July 22 at the Oconomowoc Golf Club.

The theme is From Homelessness to Home: You are the Key. This theme reflects the importance of a community response to families experiencing homelessness in our community. Homelessness is a complicated issue and will need all of us to address it. Those interested in sponsoring the event are encouraged to respond by March 15, 2024 so that we will be able to promote your involvement throughout the registration process.

Check out the sponsorship levels and benefits below and then click this link to sign up to sponsor.

5. SPREAD THE WORD

Help Family Promise grow our audience

Community/Action

From January 1 to February 21, our Facebook audience grew by 72 followers. We learned that this surge was due in large part because a volunteer invited their network to follow us! The click of a few buttons and people came to learn more about Family Promise because they heard of us from a person they trusted.

Expanding our audience is important because it increases our ability to reach families, volunteers and donors. We want everyone in Waukesha County to know of our services, our impact and needs. We can only achieve this with your help. Therefore, can you do the following?:

Make sure you like and follow all our social media pages: Facebook, Instagram, Linked-in, X and Threads
Invite your network to like and follow our pages. Your endorsement goes a long way.
Like, comment, and share posts to help us reach a wider audience.
Provide a positive review of Family Promise of Waukesha County on our Google page.

These are easy and important ways to demonstrate your support for families experiencing homelessness. All of these options help us expand our reach and improve our ability to serve others.

Thank you!

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