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Family Stories
A young man and his son arrived at Family Promise and were screened for admittance to the program in Monroe County. George and his 2 year old son were evicted from their apartment and he had lost his entire life in 15 days.
George had accumulated an extreme amount of parking tickets because there was no legal parking local to his home at night time. George was stopped and arrested by the police on the way to work one day due to the warrant for his arrest for those unpaid parking tickets. Living paycheck to paycheck George wasn't able to pay for the tickets and spent 10 days in jail, causing him to lose his job. With the loss of his car and job, he was shortly evicted from his shared home and now battling the possible loss of his son's custody.
George entered the program, with a poor outlook on life and no hope for a future. In only a few days of entering the program, he found hope through Family Promise of Monroe County. With the assistance of staff, volunteers, congregations and community resources he discovered that his local community, the one he had spent his whole life growing up, was offering the help he truly needed.
Over the next 3 months while sheltered by the program's supportive congregations, George learned money budgeting, employment skills, better parenting skills and completed his GED, and started planning for a new future for him and his son. While participating in the Family Promise program, he was able to obtain full time employment with benefits, clear up & reorganize debt, regain 50% custody of his son and even recapture his faith in God, and his community.
As we followed up with George over his 6 months of "after care" with the program, we have not only seen him utilize the skills he gained while in the Family Promise program, but he has maintained independent housing and continues to strengthen his self-sufficiency.
George once said "I am extremely grateful for Family Promise and its volunteers, and I plan on volunteering for the organization once I am back on my feet". Almost a year since his very first day in the program, George now volunteers with the program and assists those families who now walk in his old shoes.
Comments From The Families
"The best thing about Family Promise is that they're compassionate. The staff & volunteers at Family Promise really care about the community. They really enjoy helping families."
"Family Promise was a life saver for me and my family. It gave me the support I needed to get through this stressful time in my life."
"During our crisis, it was peaceful to come to a church and feel protected. Although our home moved weekly, we felt loved and that we would not be abandoned until I was able to secure a permanent job and affordable housing."
"Family Promise helped my family in lots of ways. They provided us with food, transportation and games for the children. Every day, members of the church would come to spend the night so you and your children will have someone to talk to."
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