"It was nice to just be normal..."
There's another circus (besides Family Promise) in town! Family Promise guests and staff were able to enjoy a night out on the town with a generous donation of Cirque Du Soleil tickets! A current participant said, "It was nice to just be normal for a night with 'friends' and family. We blended in with everyone else. No one knew we were in a program; we were just there to have fun."
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More than just Shelter
One chilly day in December, a woman came to our door, shaking and crying, desperately seeking help. She explained she had a PFA (protection from abuse) order against an abusive boyfriend, but he refused to respect the court order - stalking her, harassing her, even breaking into her apartment with weapons the night before.
She was terrified for herself and her children. “He says he can do whatever he wants, and the police aren’t going to stop him!” she said through tears.
Our discussion found that she had called the police a dozen times, but they weren’t interested in helping. Showing us the numerous calls to the police, she cried, “All they say is to ‘let us know if he hurts you and try to stay somewhere else,’ but where can I go?”
The staff at Family Promise was able to help her create a safety plan for herself and her children. We then connected her with the local DA’s Office and the Victim’s Witness program, who called a meeting with the Harrisburg police chief. With Victim’s Witness’ assistance, the police reviewed the PFA and the evidence of his threats and harassment, finally leading to her abuser being taken off the street and incarcerated for threats, harassment, stalking, and finally, violation of a PFA order.
She came back to us the next day, smiling and greatly relieved! “He is gone now. I don’t know how long for, but long enough for me and my kids to find a new place to live where he won’t know where to find us.” Through hugs and tears, she thanked us for being willing to help her when no one else could. “We have time now to find someplace safe. I thank God I was able to find you and you were willing - and able - to help.”
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1st Anniversaries
Family Promise served 25+ clients in 2023 at Brethren Housing Association's Job Club. We celebrated the 1-year anniversary on January 10th with the support of Road to Success case manager, Stacey Coldren. During these job club classes, clients work on confidence, mock interviews, resume building, and looking for jobs.
Steve and his kiddos celebrated one year in their home! This special family was able to hold birthday parties, holiday dinners, and make so many new memories together in their home. I can’t wait to see what is in store for this family down the road!
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Hope through Hospitality
“They treat us like family,” is how I heard a guest talking about the host sites, where Family Promise HCR families spend the overnight hours. In case you aren’t totally familiar with how FPHCR works, click here.
We lost half, yes half, of our host partners during COVID. Thankfully, we have also picked up a few new sites. But we are still in great need of congregations that would like to partner with us and make an investment of time and building space, for folks who desperately need it.
Family Promise HCR is not a religious organization. We are a social service organization that utilizes the network of resources that faith communities have created.
Intrigued? We’d be happy to talk with you personally or talk to your congregation about what we do and how they might partner with us.
Congregations have an opportunity to treat people like family, many of whom haven’t felt that in a long time. Contact Susan Ryder at susan@familypromisehcr.org for more information about hosting.