FP FIVE: A NEW TEAM!

4 hours ago7 min read

March 3 , 2025

The Family Promise Five is a weekly newsletter whose purpose is to update, inform, and advocate for families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

The mission of Family Promise of Waukesha County is to help low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.

In this edition, you will find these stories:

WELCOME NEW STAFF
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
VJS RUN
PREVENTION IN FOCUS
THE IMPACT OF HOMELESSNESS ON CHILDREN

POLL OF THE WEEK

Which observation about our prevention program is most compelling to you?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

1. WELCOME NEW STAFF

Three individuals joined our team last week.

Staff

Family Promise of Waukesha County is excited to announce that three new staff members joined the team, last Wednesday, February 26th.

Please welcome Drewshika, Kaitlin, and Cassidy to Family Promise of Waukesha County!

Drewshika Watkins

Drewshika Watkins has joined our team as a the Shelter Diversion Coordinator. Drewshika's responsibilities will include:

Develop, implement, and assess policies and procedures.
Track program data and monitor and manage the Shelter Diversion budget.
Facilitate the Shelter Diversion Advisory Council for Waukesha County.
Build relationships with landlords, creating incentives and minimizing risks for housing families with barriers.
Educate the community stakeholders about shelter diversion services and partner with local agencies to identify families in need.

Drewshika received her Masters Degree in Social Work from George Williams College and has spent her career supporting individuals and families through advocacy, mentorship, and career development.

Please welcome Drewshika to Family Promise of Waukesha County. Her contact information:

Phone: 262-968-2321 ext.106

Email: drewshika@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

Kaitlin Kelly

Kaitlin Kelly has joined our team as a the Shelter Diversion Family Advocate. Kaitlin's responsibilities will include:

Ensure that all families experiencing homelessness have a safe and stable housing.
Provide support and resources to families experiencing homelessness.
Offer creative case management focused on finding alternate solutions to for those experiencing homelessness.

Kaitlin recieved her Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Dordt University. Kaitlin has a background in serving individuals experiencing homelessness and supporting individuals with anxiety, OCD, and depression.

Please welcome Kaitlin to Family Promise of Waukesha County. Her contact information:

Phone: 262-968-2321 ext.109

Email: kaitlin@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

Cassidy Glover

Cassidy Glover has joined our team as a the Shelter Family Advocate. Cassidy's responsibilities will include:

Provide direct advocacy for families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, focusing on prevention, diversion, shelter, and stabilization.
Develop individualized service plans with each family.
Assist families in navigating the housing market and securing stable housing.
Connect families to community resources, such as financial assistance, healthcare, childcare, transportation and education services.

Cassidy graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She has experience working as a Clinical Care Extender focusing in psychiatric serves, including, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other mental health diagnoses.

Please welcome Cassidy to Family Promise of Waukesha County. Her contact information:

Phone: 262-968-2321 ext.105

Email: cassidy@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

Meet Our Staff

2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Welcome Julie Wiech to the Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of Family Promise of Waukesha County is a group of volunteers who give of their time to set the vision, mission and provide accountability for the organization. A strong board is an essential part of the ability of any non-profit to function effectively. We are grateful for the dedication and service provided by the Family Promise of Waukesha County Board of Trustees.

Recently, five new volunteers joined the Board of Trustees. They are: Dan Budde, Robert McCormack, Monica Murphy, Jen Veum, and Julie Wiech. Over the next few weeks we will profile each new member.

Today we focus on Julie Wiech. Julie comes from a background of accounting. Currently Julie works at a local nonprofit as the Controller for all three of its agencies and is also the Controller at American Deposit Management LLC in Pewaukee.

You can read more about Julie on our Board of Trustees webpage.

Board of Trustees

3. VJS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 5K

Sat, May 03, 2025 | VJS Construction Services

Fund Development

Please join VJS for their 5th Annual Community Foundation 5K. The 5k fun run/walk will kick off in the VJS Construction Services parking lot and will circle the Pewaukee Business Park.

We are excited to be a beneficiary of funds raised at the 5th Annual VJS Construction Services Community Foundation 5K! Join us on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, at 8 a.m. for a fun 5K run/walk. The event will start in the VJS parking lot and circle the Pewaukee Business Park. Strollers and pets are welcome; we are excited to see you there!

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP

4. PREVENTION IN FOCUS

The Prevention program completes 4 years of serving families

Program/Mission

A medical issue led Crystal to needing rent assistance. This is her story.

In March 2020, Family Promise of Waukesha County made a significant shift in programming due to the pandemic. It was then that we implemented the Family Homelessness Prevention Program. With the faith communities shut down, at that moment we were attempting to find a way to serve people during a crisis. We very quickly put together criteria to participate in the program, a plan for case management, and were blessed by generous donors to get this emergency program started. Now five years later, prevention is a regular part of the services we offer. From 2020-2024 we spent $493,000 to provide rent, utility, mortgage and car repairs to 284 individual households. This is an average of $1,735 per household.

In 2023 and 2024 134 of the 137 families we served or 98% have remained housed. This data point tells us first and foremost that the program is successful in preventing the chaos, destruction and trauma of homelessness. With enough resources and the right timing we can have the ability to can help families to stay in their homes. Here are some things that we have learned over the past five years:

Prevention is economically cheaper than shelter.
Prevention is cheaper emotionally and psychologically.
Prevention clients require less time with case management.
High rent and low wages is a combination that contributes to homelessness.
Too many families pay a percentage of their income on rent that reduces housing stability.
Every person has their own internal issues which exacerbates external factors.
We need more property owners who are willing to accept section 8.
Our average payment for rent increased 33% from 2023 to 2024. Perhaps an annual cap on the percentage rent can increase annually seems like a good idea.

Starting the prevention program occurred under difficult circumstances but it has turned out to be a blessing for many families. Thank you to everyone who supports Family Promise. Your generosity has made this possible!

POLL OF THE WEEK

What observation about prevention was most compelling to you?

0%Prevention is economically cheaper than shelter.
0%Prevention is cheaper emotionally and psychologically.
0%High rent/ low wages is a significant factor in homelessness
0%Rent is often too high a percentage of a families income.

5. THE IMPACT OF HOMELESSNESS ON CHILDREN

2 children froze to death in Michigan

Accompaniment

About two weeks ago two children experiencing homelessness froze to death in a van in Detroit, Michigan. According to the story the mom had reached out for help in November after she could no longer stay with a relative. She stated that she called additional shelters and resources throughout Michigan and even in other states. Children dying because they do not have a home is unconscionable. As a social service agency this story goes through all of us. Our mission is to support families who are experiencing homelessness. People often will say, well you cannot help everyone. There is no doubt all agencies have limits, but sometimes those limits are deadly. Despire those limits, the role of social service agencies is to work together to develop a network that will not allow families to fall through the cracks.

In Waukesha the Winter Overflow has been our safety net. This winter with the Housing Action Coalition short of funds, a number of agencies came together to create a viable if not patchwork approach to offering additional shelter. Even then, when the shelter experienced a second break in a fire sprinkler pipe, a commitment was made by the agencies to utilize hotels when shelters are full.

Yet it is not just an agency issue. Homelessness is a community issue. In the article Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the homeless indicated that, "Many US cities already don’t have enough resources or aren’t deploying them most effectively to meet the needs of their homeless residents, Public officials, meanwhile, have not done enough to address the root causes of homelessness. He cited a shortage of affordable, low-income housing units; landlords driving up rent prices; and a federal minimum wage that stands at $7.25."

For us this story was particular sobering because it focused on the demographic we serve: children. Yet not far away from us in Milwaukee there have been at least five people who have died due to the cold.

People dying due to homelessness should never happen. The best way to ensure it does not happen is to make housing more accessible.

Rent Assistance

FIVE PLUS

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

The theme for Women's History Month 2025 is "Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations." This theme celebrates the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership. Through their efforts, they have served as an inspiration for all generations — both past and present.

SAVE THE DATE- GOLF OUTING JULY 21

The Family Promise of Waukesha County Golf Outing will be Monday, July 21 at the Oconomowoc Golf Club. Our theme for 2025 is Raise Your Hand; Lift Their Future. Our foundational value has long been community involvement. Your participation in the golf outing can have a generational impact. Save the date and watch for more information soon.

TARGET GIVING CIRCLE

Do not forget when you are out running errands this weekend to use your Target Circle App and assign your points to Family Promise. We are one of the Target Circle recipients for the first quarter of 2025.

FAMILY PROMISE APPAREL