BY LESLIE POOLE

The families come in all shapes and sizes. A father and his 6-year-old son. A mother and three daughters, one of them a newborn, another a teenager. A grandfather, father, and two children. They have nowhere to go—local homeless shelters are full or the families would be required to split up once there. Some have been sleeping in cars. Others are fleeing bad circumstances.

These are the faces of Family Promise, an 11-year-old non-profit program that works through area churches and religious centers to provide shelter, food, security, and hope for homeless families in Central Florida. By day, children go to school or daycare while parents work, attend classes, or look for employment. By night, they gather at local churches where volunteers provide hot meals and entertainment before the families head to warm, safe beds.

Four times a year—for a week at a time—these families are housed at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church and Christ the King Episcopal Church.  A third church in the diocese, St. Matthew’s, provides support for Christ the King by supplying meals and volunteers two nights each week. For each church it means adjusting to the needs of the families but the opportunity to reach out into the community and demonstrate God’s love makes it all worthwhile. Classrooms and spare rooms are converted into private bedrooms. Kitchens are active every night producing hot, nutritious meals. And each evening a few volunteers bring their pillows and spend the night at the church to ensure all is well—a ministry of presence.

“St. Richard’s was just a support parish before 2013 because we didn’t think we had the space,” said Rev. Alison Harrity. “When we really took a look at our facility, we found plenty of space. Now as a host church we look forward to transforming our meeting rooms, library and Sunday School rooms into comfortable living spaces for our guests.”

Harrity notes that large churches may need to juggle space already in use for many programs in order to participate. “But it is worth the effort,” she said. “Every time Family Promise moves in and a group has to use an alternative space for their regular activity they are made aware of people who don’t have a regular space for anything in their life! Displacing groups for a week four times a year provides more benefit for our Christian communities than it does burden in the connections it creates to the community. Family Promise creates awareness and connections.”

Rev. Sonia Sullivan Clifton of St. Matthew’s says that participating in Family Promise fulfills the church’s goal of community outreach. “The opportunity to serve as a Support Congregation for the last two years has been a tremendous blessing to us,” Clifton said. “Not once have we had a shortage of volunteers!”

Last year, Family Promise, a program through the nationwide Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), served 70 Central Florida people – 64% of which were children. The average stay is 50 days, time in which families can get their feet on the ground, become financially stable, and gain life skills that move them toward self sufficiency.

“Family Promise is a program that truly impacts the lives of the homeless families we serve,” said IHN Board Chair Carin Anderson. “A vital part of our program is our 20 host churches. Each week a different congregation graciously opens their doors for our families and feeds them meals, plays with their children and gives them a soft bed to sleep in at night. Our agency thrives thanks to the love and support of our volunteers and congregations.”

Clifton notes that her 40-plus volunteers go above and beyond just preparing meals—they also have provided suitcases for families, helped with tutoring, and donated gifts for the annual Christmas Party. “There is just pure joy in seeing others experience and receive unconditional love offered to them.”

Family Promise welcomes additional churches interested in becoming host or support churches. If your congregation is interested, please contact Carin Anderson at 407-722-1550 or at carinanderson1@gmail.com