FAMILY PROMISE HELP WEEKS

During our Family Promise Host Week, we will be asked to donate groceries, meals, gift cards and even additional hours of counseling for our homeless families.  Thank you for your generosity and helping our brothers and sisters in need!

WHAT IS FAMILY PROMISE?

Family Promise of Morris County is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness faced by Morris County families and individuals.  In over 30 years of existence, Family Promise of Morris County has expanded from a single Shelter program to offering just under ten programs. Encompassing the areas of shelter, housing, and outreach, the programs transform over time to best support both families and individuals.  Issues are addressed holistically, providing prevention services before families and individuals reach crisis, shelter and case management when they become homeless, and stabilization programs once they have secured housing to ensure they remain independent.  

HOW CAN WE HELP?

St. Patrick Church supports Family Promise in a number of ways.  We host the families from the Shelter Program two times a year.   Due to the pandemic, the families currently in shelter are being housed in hotels.  St. Pat’s will be providing non-perishable goods, gift cards for meals and other necessities for these families. Please view our SignUp Genius to donate by clicking here.  The items will be collected at the Parish Office and delivered to Family Promise.  

In lieu of hosting, Family Promise is asking congregations to provide support by contributing to the housing costs for the remaining two families. The expenses for each family to move into their new homes are $3,000, which includes security deposits, inspections, realtor fees, furniture, and a moving truck. Assistance with these expenses at any level would be greatly appreciated. 
 
Family Promise of Morris County is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness faced by Morris County families.  The main goal of its various programs is to keep families housed and together, and break the cycle of homelessness and generational poverty.  Integral to our Christian identity, we at St. Patrick Church are committed to the mission of Family Promise. Through this shared ministry, two weeks each year we care for the families that are working towards independence.
 
Many of you may not be familiar with Family Promise, so we wanted to share a little bit of its history and familiarize you with the programs and outreach it does for families in Morris County.
 
Family Promise of Morris County was formed over 30 years ago by two St. Patrick parishioners, Terry Rehill and Cathy English. It was initially called the Interfaith Council for Homeless Families and was modeled after a similar program in Union County started by Karen Olsen. Terry and Cathy worked countless hours organizing, advocating and were eventually able to get 43 congregations in Morris County to participate in housing homeless families.  They asked another parishioner, Cindy Peabody, to become the first St. Patrick coordinator.  We subsequently partnered with Stanley Congregational and Long Hill Chapel to host families for the very first time.  The guests ate and slept at Stanley and showered at St. Patrick Church.  Within a year, Stanley raised enough money to build a shower for the guests.  
 
Family Promise has grown tremendously in the past 30 years.  In addition to the original Emergency Shelter Program that St. Patrick participates in, the Family Promise Home Office also runs the Community Support Program which provides support for families that have moved out of shelter and families at risk of becoming homeless;  Our Promise, a drop-in center for chronically homeless individuals; as well as many other community outreach programs. Families in the programs receive in-home case management, 24-hour on call support/crisis intervention, financial literacy and debt reduction, mentoring programs, and in-kind support. Services are tailored to meet the needs of each family rather than trying to fit them into a ‘one-size fits all’ mold. In addition, Family Promise works closely with other local non-profit organizations to connect families to additional community resources they may need.
 
We hope you will continue to support Family Promise as it continues its mission of ending the crisis of homelessness in Morris County.

If you would like to make a donation to Family Promise, please mail a check made payable to "St. Patrick Parish" to St. Patrick Parish, 41 Oliver St., Chatham, NJ  07928. Please write "Family Promise" on the memo line of your check.

Donations via credit card, debit card or ACH can be done by completing the form below.