Family Promise Week is Oct. 19-25

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Family Promise of Delaware County, which assists the homeless, will have a volunteer recognition reception later this month.

It will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 25 at William Street United Methodist Church, 28 W. William St.

“We want to thank the people that are integral to helping us roll along throughout the year,” said executive director Beth Trigg. The event will include awards for best individual volunteer and volunteer family.

The event will be the culmination of “Family Promise Week,” celebrated at 192 affiliates nationwide. The non-profit organization was founded in 1988 in Summit, New Jersey, to help homeless families achieve independence. To date, more than 600,000 people have received temporary housing, case management and other services from Family Promise.

“We’ve been here since 2009, and the word is getting out about us because of social media,” Trigg said. “We’re the only kid on the block, and we’ve been at full capacity since April, and that means six families non-stop. Then we have to facilitate numerous calls daily for help that we cannot accommodate, so we have to send them to Franklin (County) or Marion County for services, and that can sometimes be a barrier for people that are homeless but have a job in Delaware County.”

Trigg said the Delaware affiliate of Family Promise continues to add services to assist guests, such as courses in financial literacy, life skills, and learning bridges for children.

“We’re job-based, and that’s the key,” she said. “We set goals and expectations for our guests, and we expect them to meet them within a time frame.”

According to the organization, 75 percent of guests secure housing within nine weeks.

“The challenges are that we’re helping a wider range of people with mental illness and drug use – but we’re connecting them with other partners in the community in order to get them the services they need,” Trigg said.

The Delaware affiliate receives assistance from more than a dozen local churches, as well as donations of food from national pizza chains, and other gifts. However, in the weeks and months to come, Family Promise will also hold a rummage sale (Nov. 7 at First Baptist Church), have a Christmas fundraising campaign, and sponsor a teen dance at Willis Intermediate School.

“We’re really proud of our partnerships, but we always need volunteers and monetary donations to chip away at our mortgage and utilities,” Trigg said.

The Family Promise of Delaware County home at 39 N. Washington St. is decked out for Halloween.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/10/web1_DSCF6879.jpgThe Family Promise of Delaware County home at 39 N. Washington St. is decked out for Halloween.

Gary Budzak | The Gazette

By Gary Budzak

[email protected]

Gary Budzak may be reached at 740-413-0904 or on Twitter @GaryBudzak.

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