Our Mission
Intersecting faith and community to empower Grayson County families to end child homelessness
Our Vision
Envisioning a community where no child is homeless
What is Family Promise of Grayson County?
Family Promise of Grayson County, Inc. (FPGC) is a non denominational, non profit 501(c)(3) organization for families in transition. Part of a national network, Grayson County is one of over 200 Affiliates across the United States.
There are over 6,000 congregations and 200,000 volunteers making up these Networks. Based on the support of volunteers and Host Congregations, Family Promise® (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) programs are funded by donations, grants, and fundraising opportunities.
Although we may invite our guests to attend church activities, we do not to proselytize; instead we will demonstrate our faith by our actions.
Why Family Promise of Grayson County?
On average, 88% of the families who participate find permanent housing within nine weeks. Guests without jobs usually find them or enter job training. Others may enroll in school. FPGC provides familes hope.
What Congregations are Committed to Family Promise of Grayson County?
Host Congregations
Support Congregations
Who are the homeless FPGC seeks to help?
People! Individuals, families, mothers, fathers, children and elderly. People just like you.
A spouse cannot cope with the responsibility of a family anymore and leaves a 14-year marriage. The remaining spouse, left with a teenager who is a mother of an 8-month old baby herself, has no money, no car and no job. What’s next? They must stay at a shelter.
A low-income family has a house fire and loses everything. The little insurance they had may build a structure, but will not replace personal belongings. Rebuilding will take months. They end up living with a sister and her children in an already too small apartment.
A family suffers from corporate downsizing. The household breadwinner is laid off. They have a little money in savings, but after four months of looking for work, the money is gone. One parent must stay home to attend to the three small children. They borrow money from family to last another month but then, where will they turn?
What are the components of Family Promise of Grayson County?
Family Promise builds programs from existing resources so they can be implemented quickly, and without major start-up costs.
Programs vary from community to community, reflecting local needs and resources. However, there are basic needs for all programs. The components of all programs as the following:
What do these components do?
Host Congregations: Three to four times per year, for one week at a time, Host Congregations provide overnight lodging, meals (supper, breakfast, and brownbag lunch), and hospitality. Housing rotates among the member Host Congregations (no less than thirteen) for three families (up to fourteen people) from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. the next morning.
Support Congregations: While Support Congregations may not have the physical space to host, they can provide much needed volunteers, supplies and finances.
Volunteers: The volunteers are the lifeblood of the program. Without volunteers Family Promise would not exist. Volunteers provide a variety of services: cooking and serving meals, playing with children or helping with homework, and staying overnight. Beyond these services, volunteers interact with the guests, treating them with respect and responding with compassion. This is an opportunity for the whole family to volunteer on some level.
Day Center: Each day the guests are brought to our Day Center, which provides a homelike atmosphere for them from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. The FPGC and Network Director’s offices are located here. Many of the guests are employed and will go to work. Other guests work with the Network Director to find jobs and housing. The Day Center has shower facilities as well as washers and dryers. Children not old enough for school have a designated area at the Center. FPGC is currently seeking a facility to serve as its Day Center.
Transportation: An FPGC supplied van and volunteer or part- time drivers transport guests to and from the Host Congregation and Day Center. The van also provides transportation to employment interviews, housing searches, medical/dental appointments and social service agencies.
Fundraising: Since FPGC is self-supporting, it is very critical to open and maintain avenues of funding for the program. In the initial start up it is estimated that it will require $125,000 to operate the first year. Although many dollars are contributed through volunteer efforts, there is the need to employ a full-time Network Director, as well as to provide insurances, utilities, furnishings, and a number of other necessary items to make our program a success. FPGC will always be seeking donations (both material and monetary), grants, and fundraising opportunities. If you can be supportive in any of these ways, please contact us.