Aug 237 min read

FP FIVE: PREVENTION FUNDS

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 August 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 August 23rd are:

FAMILY MEAL- COOKOUT!
PREVENTION FUNDS EXHAUSTED
SHELTER DIVERSION LAUNCHED
MEET JUSTIN COLON
THE TARGET/AMAZON CHALLENGE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

As part of the weekly meal this week we had a seminar on how to grocery shop on a budget. Thank you to Mary Budde for leading this session. The kids had an art project that they worked on.

Thank you to Dan Herda for taking photos at our Golf Outing.

POLL OF THE WEEK

What would be the best way to stretch our prevention funding?

1. FAMILY MEAL COOKOUT!

Food needed for our Labor Day Cookout this Wednesday!

Volunteer

The meals for families in the Apartment Shelter Program have been positively received! This has been a great way for families to connect with one another and recognize that they are not experiencing homelessness alone. The partner groups have done a wonderful job of showing their support.

This Wednesday, August 28 we will celebrate with a Labor Day Cookout and we need your help! Can you select one of the items on the list to contribute to the meal? We would like to have commitments by Monday, August 26. Items should be dropped off on Tuesday, August 26 between 9am and 4pm at the Family Promise of Waukesha County Day Center 139 E North Street Waukesha WI 53188. If you need to make other arrangements please contact Maria: maria@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

FAMILY PROMISE COOKOUT

We continue to seek groups willing to provide the meal. Your family, congregation, business, or civic group can sign up once or multiple times! Here is some basic information:

Groups bring 2-3 volunteers to serve the meals to and eat with families.

Groups are asked to arrive at 5 PM and be set up to serve at 5:30 PM.
Usually the evening ends at about 7 PM. (Evenings with a seminar might be a little longer)
All volunteers must go through a criminal background check and are encouraged to complete the online training. At least one volunteer present has to have completed the training.
Bringing a craft or game is not required, but adds fun to the evening.
Volunteer groups plan and make the meals of their choice. Meals should arrive hot and ready to serve.
The numbers of people present fluctuate so we touch base with you a week before your meal.
Leftovers are given to the families - bringing some tupperware they can use is helpful.

Questions? Contact Maria: maria@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

2. HOMELESS PREVENTION FUNDS EXHAUSTED

41% increase in payments contribute to funds being used

Program

Family Promise of Waukesha County has prevented 43 families from experiencing homelessness by utilizing $90,000 on financial assistance in the form of rent, mortgage, utilities and car repairs. Unfortunately these are the funds that were budgeted to prevent homelessness for the entirety of 2024. A major reason for utilizing these funds half way through the year is because there has been a 41% increase in the average rent payment made to families. In 2023 our average rent payment was $956. In 2024 the average monthly rent payment is $1,356.

This does not mean Family Promise is out of money. It does mean that to be faithful to our budget we cannot spend more funds on rent assistance. Our budgeted income and expenses are higher than ever before. Therefore until we know we are able to meet or surpass our goal for the year we do not have the flexibility to increase our budget for prevention.

Following the guidelines of the Wisconsin State Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources we have been providing rent assistance based on the greatest need. Their guidelines require that every family seeking assistance participate in an assessment and are then added to a list called Coordinated Entry (CE). Coordinated Entry prioritizes those with the most needs and moves them to the top of the list. Currently there are 62 families on the list. Even though using this list has allowed us to better identify the needs of families in Waukesha County, it is not comprehensive. There are a few agencies who provide rent assistance without the prioritization list, therefore we know that there are many more than 62 families who need assistance.

The housing crisis is not only about families experiencing homelessness, it is also about families not knowing if they will be able to pay their rent each month. A study completed by the Wisconsin Policy Forum identified that 44% of renters in Waukesha County are cost burdened, an indication that their housing is not viable for the long-term.

Our ability to help families is always in direct proportion to the available resources. To provide two months of rent assistance, using the average monthly rent payment of $1,356, we would need to budget an additional $168,144. While our services have grown tremendously, the need continues to exceed our capacity.

POLL OF THE WEEK

What is the best way to stretch prevention funding?

0%Only pay a portion of monthly rent
0%Don't help more than one month.
0%Raise more money
0%Raise more money and I want to help 😁

You can vote for more than one answer.

3. SHELTER DIVERSION LAUNCHED

Shelter Diversion Increases Capacity to Serve Families

Mission

The Shelter Diversion Program officially started accepting clients on July 19th. Starting Utilizing Shelter Diversion has changed the manner in which we work with families. The biggest change is that when a family with a minor child who is experiencing homelessness calls, our assessment process is to help them identify resources that will provide an alternative to shelter. The first priority is to keep them from entering the shelter system. If those resources do not exist then shelter could be their best option. The reasons for this approach is that it reserves shelter for families who have the least amount of resources, alleviates some shelter capacity issues and does not allow shelter to become a lifestyle.

The impact this new approach is that first, it will increase the number of families we serve. There is engagement with every family who calls! This approach requires crisis management, creative solutions and intensive case management.

When starting the program we were uncertain of its impact. Here is some early data for Shelter Diversion from July 19 to August 23:

39 families experiencing homelessness called requesting assistance
12 families were enrolled in Shelter Diversion Program
10 families are in the process of being enrolled
5 families entered the Apartment Shelter Program
6 households were not eligible
4 did not maintain contact
2 cases have been closed

This is much more than we anticipated. To give this context, in 2023 we provided shelter to 27 families. While we are excited about an expanded ability to serve families, we have also encountered opportunities for growth and learning. Here are a few early observations:

Shelter Diversion does not solve the housing crisis. Which means even though we are able to support more families, we still lack the best resource: housing.
Often when a family experiencing homelessness approaches us, it is a financial crisis, but also a relationship crisis. Some families come to us as a last resort after living doubled up with family and friends for months. Too many people in a small residence can put stress on relationships. The host family also takes on a higher financial burden.
A priority for this program is to develop more creative resources for families experiencing homelessness. Some ideas we are discussing are piloting hosts who might temporarily open their home to families, working with congregations to provide space on a limited basis, landlord tenant relationship repair, and using extended stay models.
Investment in Shelter Diversion by the entire community is needed. We held on Shelter Diversion Advisory Council and it surfaced some exciting possibilities. It was primarily service agencies who attended. A full representation on the council would include members from health care, schools, government, law enforcement and faith communities. Contact Justin, justin@familypromisewaukeshawi.org if you are interested in joining.

For the time being, we are taking a tiered approach. The first goal is to make sure families experiencing homelessness are stabilized. Once stabilized, we work to help them secure self-sufficient housing.

Here are our shelter and prevention statistics for July 2024 and Year to Date. Diversion statistics will be included in the future.

4. MEET JUSTIN COLON

Justin joined Family Promise as Shelter Diversion Coordinator in July

Staff

Welcome to Justin Colon! Justin joined the Family Promise of Waukesha County team as the Shelter Diversion Coordinator on July 1. Six weeks in, he shares some information about himself, his impression of the organization, and the joys and challenges of starting a new program. Check out the video to learn more about Justin!

My work is always guided by that principle of justice and equity. . . I stand on housing as a universal right for all. There should never be a person, family or not, without a roof over their head. - Justin Colo

5. THE TARGET/AMAZON CHALLENGE

Support Families by Helping with Some of the Items on Our Wishlist

Donations

Everyone knows that shopping at Target inevitably results in buying more items than we anticipated. Perhaps items that we didn't even know we needed! Well, perhaps we can put this phenomenon to use in service to families experiencing homelessness. When you are at Target, or shopping online with Amazon, could you select one item that would support families experiencing homelessness? We are calling it the Target Challenge. As the number of Shelter Diversion families grow we are finding we are using supplies more quickly. Here are some items we need: