Family Promise of Greater Rockingham County, Inc - (603) 432-0400

Assisting homeless families with legal custody of children to obtain permanent housing.

When people hear "homeless" they think of a single adult on a park bench. This image is no longer accurate. Start thinking, children and their caregiving adults.

In the U. S. and New Hampshire, 40% of the homeless population are families with children. One out of every four homeless persons is a child. The average age of a homeless person is 9 years old.

This is why FPGRC seeks to create an Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) to help homeless children and their families in our area.

The Interfaith Hospitality Network is not a homeless shelter, and it’s not transitional housing. What it is:

Host/Support Congregations. Ten to thirteen local congregations participate in an Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) as host congregations. For one week at a time, on a rotating basis, host congregations provide overnight lodging, meals, and hospitality for three to five families from 5:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. Support congregations, those who cannot host families but want to help, provide financial support or volunteers. Congregations host families 4-6 times per year.

Day Center. Families are taken to a Day Center from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There they can shower, do laundry, and care for preschool age children. Using the day center address and phone, they look for employment and housing. School-aged children are able to remain in their home schools.

Family Support Services. A full-time Day Center Director provides intensive case management and classes to help families regain independence. The director provides education in areas such as job skills, budgeting, nutrition, and parenting. Local agencies assist in finding housing, jobs, and medical and government assistance.

Transportation. Family Promise provides van transportation for guests to and from the Day Center, the host congregation sites, and other needed appointments.

Volunteers. Volunteers work at host congregations and the Day Center. They cook/serve meals, play with children, help with homework, interact with guests, and provide overnight on-site support. They help families move into their new homes, deliver donated items, and much more.

We have four committees that we seek assistance in to operate the IHN:
1. Host Recruiting - A team explains the IHN to potential host congregations and recruiting them to participate. We will recruit on an on-going basis
2. Fundraising - A team works on developing a donor base and getting the word out to the community so that other organizations will help us by holding fundraisers. We also organize fundraisers of our own and we are applying for grants. We will need about $142,000 per year to run the IHN.

3. Transportation - We are seeking a van to transport up to 4 families, up to 14 individuals, from the host congregation to the Day Center each morning, and return each evening.

4. Public Relations - A team mans tables at community farmer's markets and other events, produces a brochure, gets out news articles, maintains a website and this Facebook page, and before long you'll find us on Twitter too.

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