Family Promise® of Clark County (FPCC) is a new program for homeless families to help them achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response. 

Over 2000 children in the Vancouver and Evergreen school districts were homeless for some period of time during the 2016-17 school year.  In 2016 over 600 Clark County families with children requested emergency shelter; less than 20% were placed.  

FPCC will help homeless children and their families by:

• Providing a safe environment that includes a place to sleep , meals, and hospitality
• Connecting parents with supportive services to aid in the search for employment and affordable housing
• Organizing congregations to reach out with compassion to assist homeless families in Clark County.

How does Family Promise work?

• A network of 13 host congregations rotate over a year to provide a week of safe, overnight hospitality at their facility for 4-5 homeless families (14 people maximum) 4 times a year.  Hospitality includes meals and overnight accommodations.  A number of support congregations provide additional volunteers to support the program at the host churches. 

• During the day families reside at the Day Center, where children of school age are bussed to/from their schools, pre-school children are provided daycare and parents work on attaining  a permanent housing solution.  The Day Center has bathroom, shower and laundry facilities.  It is operated by a full-time director and part-time case worker who assist the parents with resolving issues associated with attaining permanent housing.

• A 15-passenger van provides daily transportation to/from the host congregation sites and the Day Center.  The van is operated by a part-time licensed driver.  Once a week family belongings and the portable beds are transported to/from the host sites using a trailer, or additional vehicle.

Funding to operate a Family Promise affiliate comes from a variety of donation sources, both direct and in-kind. Because of the high use of donated facilities and volunteer time, the financial model is very efficient.  It’s estimated that for every $1 donated, there is a match of $3 value of in-kind donation.