18 homeless
families (our largest annual number) were served in 2011. This included 55 individuals, 30 children and 25 adults. The total number of bed nights was
2,915 and there were homeless families sheltered from January 1 – December 31st
with no vacant days. The average stay per family was 53days.
All of our guests entering the program were homeless and 11 of the 18 families served were from Gallatin County. Five of the families had been evicted from their homes, but most families were homeless due to unemployment and/or family break-up. 25 adults and 30 children, including 15 children age five and under, were served. 12 of the 18 families were female-headed single parent families, five were two-parent families, and one was a male-headed single parent family. 40 of our guests were Caucasian, eight were Native American, four were Pacific Islander and three were Latino.
During this stay, all of the guests were required to secure employment and save an average of 80% of their earnings. Only four of the families had employment upon entering the program, and ten of the families secured employment while at Family Promise. The length of time it took to secure employment was a major obstacle for most families. Fortunately, federal stimulus funds were available through the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) to assist hard working families with rental deposits. This allowed us to serve more families, and reduced the time in the program to an average of 53 days. These funds are no longer available, and we are actively working to develop individual development accounts for this same purpose.
Of the 17 families who left the program (one remained at the end of the year), 13 families were successful: 12 entered permanent housing and one entered our new transitional apartment. This is a great improvement over 2010 when only 5 out of 15 families were successful. Staff changes were implemented at the end of 2010, a strong relationship was forged with the Bozeman Job Service, and more effective measures of accountability were put into practice. Although we recognize that it is unlikely that every family will be successful, our goal remains to assist each family in implementing lasting solutions to their unique situation.
2011 was the second year that the Volunteer Development Coordinator position was a permanent full-time position. The coordinator worked actively to recruit, train and retain dedicated volunteers. A very successful Clergy Luncheon was held to recognize pastors and rabbis for their continued commitment to Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. Our Volunteer Director visited each congregation, and actively educated them on the needs of homeless families and the benefits of the Family Promise model. Donations from congregations grew from $10,655 in 2010 to $15,484 in 2011. Regular monthly volunteer training sessions were held, resulting in a total of 1,404 trained volunteers.
Our board actively participated in a strategic planning session in February, and continued to implement changes recommended by consultants through the Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits. A fundraising training session was held, and the board committed to take a more active role in fundraising events. A rummage sale was held in the spring resulting in $3600. For the first time sponsors were secured for the Fifth Annual Cardboard Box City, resulting in a total of $21,662 ($9600 in sponsorships) compared to $14,676 the previous year.
All FT staff and the Family Promise Board President and Vice-President attended the Family Promise 11th National Conference in Salt Lake City in September. We had the privilege of taking a graduate guest family with us to speak in front of 300 people during the opening forum. Cami did an excellent job speaking about how our program helped her go from homeless to homeowner. The Executive Director and Volunteer Director both helped lead workshops. We all took home a great deal of valuable information.
Numerous articles on homelessness appeared in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and on local news and radio stations. A front page article on Family Promise appeared on October 23 entitled, “A Better Safety Net: Despite Setbacks, Bozeman Makes Progress in Sheltering Homeless.” This story featured our new transitional living apartment and the Family Promise graduate family residing there. Guest editorials written by the Executive Director were published on March 22, “Let’s Work Together to Solve Our Problems” and November 10, “Help Needed to Give Hope to Homeless”. This media attention raised awareness of homelessness in our community. Family Promise of Gallatin Valley was honored to receive the ServeMontana Award from the Governor’s Office of Community Service in February, 2011.
As a non-profit organization, Family Promise of Gallatin Valley has taken a leading role in the Greater Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition (GGHAC). This team includes service providers and interested citizens and meets monthly to address homelessness in the Gallatin Valley. A warming shelter is now open every evening from November 26 – March 31st for any homeless person so that no one freezes to death in Bozeman from lack of shelter. The Salvation Army now serves breakfast 5 mornings a week, and plans are underway for an evening meal 7 days a week open to all free of charge. Family Promise is actively collaborating with other social service agencies and congregations to meet the needs of homeless persons, and ultimately, to end homelessness.