Community Corner
Family Promise Celebrates Its First Year of Helping the Homeless
Network of East Valley faith communities has helped 18 homeless families get back on their feet
“This is the sound of all of us,” sang Rev. Paul Clairville and the WestPres Garage Band (in the words of Ruth Moody of the Wailin’ Jennys) on stage in the David Familian Chapel of Adat Ari El in Valley Village.
In gratitude for its first full year year of helping homeless families in the east San Fernando Valley, Family Promise held an interfaith “Service of Celebration.” I’ve written in this column before about hospitality network, which allows up to four “situationally” homeless families at a time sleep at participating churches and synagogues until they graduate from the program. A host congregation welcomes the families for one week until they move on to the next house of worship.
Clergy from half a dozen faith traditions as well as Family Promise’s board president and executive director extolled the honor and privilege it has been to serve together to lift up their neighbors who have fallen on hard times.
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“Like privileged spectators we’re invited in to be witnesses of once in a lifetime events,” said Reverend Dave Mourn of Emmanuel Church in Burbank in his reflection.
Paul Clairville, Pastor of Westminster Presbyterian in Burbank told me, “You get to meet the families, to get to know them and be a part of their lives.”
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In the last year, the network’s 24 partner faith communities (including Faith Presbyterian and Adat Ari El in our Patch) and their member volunteers have supported 18 families, comprising about 70 people, with lodging and meals, while those guests spend their days with Family Promise’s director and caseworker to find permanent housing and employment.
Director Jaci White read from a letter sent by the most recently graduated family, who have found work and home in south Lake Tahoe:
Dreams are what was given back to us because of Family Promise’s dedication and guidance. The program allowed us the time to focus on our careers while taking some of the worries away of whether or not we could feed and house our family. With the combination of financial advice, a job developer, case manager on site and Jaci the executive director providing support, how could anyone not be successful?
Family Promise’s third annual Cardboard Box City fundraiser is scheduled to take place from Saturday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 16 until 7 a.m. in the parking lot at the Church of the Incarnation in Glendale. Prospective residents pay or raise pledges of $100 or more (like a walk-a-thon) for the experience of sleeping overnight in a parking lot under meager shelter. Contact Family Promise for more information and see my from last year about Box City.
