PARSIPPANY — Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany Foundation President Frank Cahill, presented a donation to Family Promise in the amount of $500.00. Accepting the check was President Family Promise of Morris County Stephen Hammond while Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany President Karen DeChristopher looks on.
Family Promise of Morris County, Inc. is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit organization dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness faced by Morris County families by partnering with other public and private agencies, religious congregations and community volunteers to provide shelter, case management and mentoring services leading to self sufficiency.
Family Promise of Morris County is a non-profit organization modeled after Family Promise started in Union County in 1986. This program has been replicated nationwide, involving 4,000 congregations and over 160,000 volunteers from over 180 networks. Family Promise of Morris County has 76 participating congregations and involves over 1,600 dedicated volunteers. Each year, many families in crisis are provided with emergency shelter,
meals and support services. In 2017, we served 44 individuals in our shelter program and worked with them to obtain permanent housing, employment & childcare. In 2017, our Community Support Program served 33 families and 35 single women.
How does the Network operate?
A host congregation provides overnight lodging for a maximum of 14 guests for a period of one week at its facility. Support groups (other congregations and civic groups) provide volunteers and food. Guests are given dinner, evening companionship, beds for the night and early morning breakfast. Their daytime hours are spent searching for employment, working, attending classes and/or seeking affordable housing. Families entering the Family Promise family shelter are provided with:
• Warm safe shelter • Transportation to & from shelter • Three nutritious meals/day • On-going emotional support from volunteers • Intensive case management and life skills • 24 hour on-call response • Counseling • Health assessment and monitoring • Child care Assistance • Phone line and computer • Information and referrals • Relocation assistance • Donations of furniture & household items • Follow up assistance and mentoring
What happens when families leave shelter? The Community Support Program (CSP) provides assistance to those who have successfully transitioned from shelter into their own homes. CSP families receive in-home case management, 24-hour on call support/crisis intervention, financial literacy and debt reduction, mentoring programs, and in-kind support. We tailor our services to meet the needs of each family rather than trying to fit them into an existing mold. The main goal of this program is to keep families housed and together and to break the cycle of homelessness and generational poverty. CSP was expanded to include providing case management to families currently on our waiting list and those who have transitioned to permanent or transitional housing from other agencies. We are also working closely with other local non-profit organizations to connect their clients to additional community resources that they may need.
Our Promise is based out of the basement of First Baptist Church of Morristown and serves the local homeless population. It provides phone and computer access, mailing address, restrooms, warming/cooling center, information and referral, linkage to medical and dental services, case management, systems advocacy and more. Our Promise is open Monday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be reached by phone at (973) 644-0100 or email at ourpromise@familypromisemorris.org.
Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Our members, Kiwanians, are service-minded men and women who are united in their commitment and compassion for others.
At the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, we want to ensure that all children have the opportunity to lead healthy, successful lives. We believe that by helping one child, you help the world.
You are invited to attend a meeting on Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. at Empire Diner, 1315 Route 46, Parsippany.
We hope you will be able to join us to learn more about Kiwanis and see how you fit into the picture. Newcomers and visiting clubs always welcome!
