Help for Metrowest families in poverty has expanded tremendously in recent years. Transitional housing, tutoring and vocational programs are among the many avenues of assistance, with more being developed. Through the combined efforts of local congregations, companies and volunteers, Family Promise Metrowest (FPM) has been providing relief to locals in need in the heart of Natick center.
The Journey from
Local to National
A branch of the larger Family Promise organization, FPM follows an effective model for combating homelessness in a sensitive and community-based way. In 1981 Karen Olson, Family Promise’s founder, discovered the need for awareness and action after befriending a homeless woman named Millie on the streets of New York.
Olson’s nonprofit grew to a national level in 1988, when word began spreading of the work happening in Olson’s New Jersey community. Outside communities adopted her model, and Family Promise became a massive network. There are now 192 affiliates in 41 states across the U.S., including FPM.
FPM moved into 13 Common St. in Oct. 2008, sharing space with the Common Street Spiritual Center, which provided impoverished families day shelter equipped with facilities for practical needs such as showering and laundry, and transportation overnight shelter. Local nonprofits, businesses and individuals rallied for FPM’s cause, offering hospitality, donations, counsel and other support.
Partnerships
and Volunteers
During their first year of service, FPM developed 21 partnerships with local congregations, including 13 that agreed to serve as family hosts. Judy Mongiardo, Network Coordinator at FPM, knows that the nonprofit has come a long way over almost a decade.
“Today, Family Promise has more than 55 community partners who have joined us in our work to help the homeless,” Mongiardo said. These partnerships are across 12 Metrowest towns, and include many different groups of faith, including synagogues churches and mosques.
The number of volunteers has also expanded, with 2,500 regularly contributing to FPM’s operations in various ways. Thanks to visibility through the Internet, the organization also receives regular calls from people who have read their story and want to get involved.
Programs Take Aid
Further
During the last few years, FPM has launched programs to handle specific needs. A Transitional Housing Program was implemented in 2012 to support families moving from shelters back into their communities.
“Ongoing case management, subsidies and programming increase their chances for long-term sustainability. This program effectively doubles the number of families we serve at one time,” Mongiardo explained.
Thanks to grants that were awarded in 2015, FPM was able to provide the resources for their Steps to Success Program, which features extensive vocational guidance. Mongiardo elaborated, “Families establish goals that recognize their interests and strengths, and are encouraged to further their education and training. Supports are provided to address challenges with day care, transportation, and tuition costs, allowing families to achieve sustainable employment by providing the resources they need.”
An Affordable Housing Initiative is in the works, which looks to confront the lack of feasible housing for FPM’s client base. Their first project is to build a two-family home that will be owned by the Natick Affordable Housing Trust, and should be completed by 2017.
Reliance on Fundraising
Since FPM is a private nonprofit, they do not receive government funding, and greatly benefit from the generosity of community members. FPM seeks funding from corporate sponsors and local residents throughout the year, and their largest fundraiser is their annual three-mile “Walk Away Homelessness” event, which takes place on Saturday, April 9, 8 to 10:30 a.m., starting at the Natick Common, and provides around one-third of their total operating budget. They also seek volunteers regularly.
For more information, visit familypromisemetrowest.org or contact Judy Mongiardo at 508-318-4820 or judy@familypromisemetrowest.org.
