Area Churches Unite to Help Homeless Families: Family Promise of Birmingham

June 25, 2019

Mission Makers

Family Promise host and support congregations include All Saints’ Episcopal, Baptist Church of the Covenant, Canterbury Methodist, Covenant Presbyterian, Mountain Brook Baptist, Saint Luke’s Episcopal, Saint Peter’s Anglican, Saint Mary’s Episcopal, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal, Southside Baptist, South Highland Presbyterian, Temple Emanu-El, Trinity United Methodist, Vestavia Hills Methodist, Temple Beth-El, Shades Crest Baptist and Beloved Community Church. Family Promise will host a Rock the Yacht Gala on July 18 to raise funds for the ministry. See Calendar for details.

Tiffany worked for a company for five years and one day received an email that the company was closing. She was out of a job and was evicted from her home. Tiffany and her 12-year-old son suddenly found themselves homeless, a word she had a hard time saying. She never thought she would encounter homelessness. She had two degrees and worked hard. Tiffany and her son were frightened, alone, and ashamed. But they found hope through Family Promise of Birmingham (FPB). Founded in 1998 as the Birmingham Hospitality Network, the organization began to change the lives of homeless families in the area. The name was changed in 2013 to reflect work done with families and to indicate affiliation with 200 other Family Promise networks around the country. Locally, Family Promise is a network of 17 Host and Support Congregations of diverse faith working together to provide safe, home-like lodging where homeless families can stay together while working to regain their independence. Each congregation provides overnight lodging, meals and a welcoming, supportive environment for as many as 14 people (or four families) for one week. Typically, a congregation rotates hosting a week at a time every three months.

Family Promise guests use a Day Center at Southside Baptist Church from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. where a professional, caring social worker provides case management services. There, guests can pursue employment, tend to pre-school children, shower and do laundry. The Day Center provides guests with a mailing address and base for housing and employment searches. With a lean budget of approximately $170,000, last year FPB utilized some 2,600 volunteers, served 13,000 meals, were open 365 days and served 21 guest families an average of 82 days (most from Jefferson and surrounding counties).

Today, Tiffany has a new job, a new home, and a new hope thanks to the love and support of FPB. To learn more about Family Promise of Birmingham or to help support more families like Tiffany’s visit www.FamilyPromiseBham.org or call 205-918-0246. †