Preventing homeless youth—one family at a time

We can all agree that every child deserves a home. Yet as many as 1,000 students in the Sarasota County public school system are identified as homeless each year. Let that sink in. In a school district with roughly 43,000 students, one in 43 is homeless.

Years ago, while our community offered a variety of services for these children and their families, there often were gaps in coordination or collaboration among them. An organized system of services was missing. Through our Homeless Children and Families initiative, Gulf Coast Community Foundation supported extensive research into national best practices, to see what worked best and might be customized for our community’s needs.

One national organization with over 200 local affiliates stood out as a possible solution to help more homeless families spread throughout southern Sarasota County. In 2014, through much research, hard work, deliberation, and a $50,000 matching grant from Gulf Coast, Family Promise of South Sarasota County (FPSSC) was born.

FPSSC serves families with children who have a sudden need for temporary housing. Many of these homeless families are invisible to the wider community—sleeping on friends’ couches or living in hotels, for example. In its relatively short existence, FPSSC has become one of the highest-performing affiliates in the state of Florida. Last year, FPSSC served 58 families, including 104 children, from Osprey down to Englewood and North Port.

“No Family Promise is the same, because every community is different,” says Jennifer Fagenbaum, executive director of Family Promise of South Sarasota County. “What works here for me in Venice may not work up in Indiana or Illinois, because it’s a totally different community.”

Bridge Housing

The agency’s flagship program organizes volunteer host sites across the community that house and feed families in crisis for a week at a time, on a rotating basis. The sites provide a safe place to sleep, home-cooked meals, and simple kindness to children and their guardians. Once families graduate from this bridge housing, FPSSC continues to provide them support through ongoing case management, education, and rental subsidies.

“The moving from week to week is a little stressful for the families at first, but after a week or two, they’ve got it,” says Fagenbaum. “And it keeps them motivated to continue to do what they have to do to get their own place.”

This model also provides vital structure for the kids, even amid the weekly moves. “It’s so much less traumatic for the children to not be homeless,” adds Fagenbaum, “and not be in a shelter if you can help it.”

Open Doors

Expanding beyond the bridge housing that is the foundation of the Family Promise model, FPSSC has initiated another successful program called Open Doors. The program primarily supports those at risk of losing their residence by providing tools, education, and financial aid. Open Doors includes emergency hotel shelter for one to three days (while assessments of the family are being done); diversion and case management services, including financial education and budgeting; homelessness prevention and past-due rent assistance; and housing financial assistance, to name just a few of the services provided. 

Open Doors has allowed FPSSC to dramatically increase the number of people it can assist at a time. This year, Family Promise has helped 128 families remain in their homes or become stably housed through the program. 

Strong Board

Much of FPSSC’s success can be attributed to the dedicated leadership, staff, and board. Albeit a newer affiliate, FPSSC has become one of the best performing in the southeast and across the country—even becoming a pilot site for several new programs launched by the national organization.

Board Vice President Charlie Denton says a lot of that success also can be attributed to Gulf Coast Community Foundation staff and resources. “I think Gulf Coast’s commitment to the nonprofit community is critical,” says Denton. “Whether it’s the support for the board or encouraging our board to look at different options. We wouldn’t be here without them.”

To learn more about Family Promise of South Sarasota County and how you can support its mission, go here.