Dear Friends of Family Promise,

The New Year for Family Promise holds much promise. We have the perfect new home for our Day Center –formerly the West View United Methodist Church on Middlebrook Pike. In early 2014 we will move into this beautiful building that will become a sanctuary for our families and children, staff and volunteers as we continue our mission - - to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence…ending homelessness one family at a time. 

Family Promise is a shelter program for homeless children and their families serving the Knoxville area since 2005.  At Family Promise we stretch every dollar to provide for our families.  We partner with 38 area congregations to house and feed our families. Classrooms are turned into bedrooms at our host churches and other congregations and groups of volunteers provide meals, serve as overnight hosts and greet each guest with warmth and a smile. Because of our unique partnerships, the cost of our program averages only $43 a day; far less than traditional shelters that can average over $200 a day. Family Promise is certainly a good investment! 

More space does so much more than give us some extra elbow room: it gives us the ability to expand to meet the needs of twice as many families.  The plight of homelessness has not let up. The numbers are staggering – on any given night it is estimated that 239,403 family members are homeless. In Tennessee 36.1% of homeless families are unsheltered – have no safe place to stay. And, of that number, well over one-half are children. [2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.] Since 2005, Family Promise of Knoxville has served over 160 homeless families with 81% of them obtaining sustained housing.  Yet so many more are in need of our help.  Our waiting list of families with children numbers greater than 20 and the calls come in every day.

The numbers do not really tell the story.  Each family that finds shelter with Family Promise has a story to tell. Here is just one: Cody and Samantha have three children. Samantha became ill and was unable to work and Cody’s work cut his hours. They fought hard to keep their house but with less than half the needed income, the bills just got further and further behind. One day they were homeless.  For Cody and Sam the choices for shelter were few. Only Family Promise could provide them safe shelter as a family, plus individualized case management and training to get them back on their feet. It took Cody and Sam only three weeks to find employment and an apartment.  This precious family now has a home and an opportunity for a good life. That is what your donations to Family Promise do!

    It is a new day at Family Promise and the word is change. First, I am honored to have been chosen as the new Executive Director. I have been a volunteer for years and when Joyce Shoudy announced her retirement, I knew I wanted to take on this challenge. I am trained as a lawyer but have for years rather than practice law have been "practicing parenting" and volunteering my time and talents in the community. My focus has been home and family and so it will remain - just for others!

    Change is also in the air with our day center and office home. After many ups and downs we are ever so close to purchasing a new space -a sanctuary for our guests.Your generous donations to our building fund and the extraordinary support from our interfaith partners has made this dream a near reality. Stay tuned for more news.

        Change is coming! With a new day center we will move to double our ability to help children and their families. Right now Harley House is filled to the brim with children, five boys! Their parents want nothing more than to provide for their families - just as we all do. They are now getting help. Also at the Harley House is a "wait list" with the names of 20 families needing a place to stay. Our new space will allow us to help so many more.

    Change ... None of this is possible without you! Volunteers are the cornerstone of Family Promise. Soon we will be reaching out to additional members of the interfaith community to join our network.

    Change... Often change goes hand in hand with fear and uncertainty.  But as we move forward with all this change we will do so walking together, side by side. As I do, I hope you see this change as an exciting opportunity for us to continue the promise to end homelessness one family at a time!

 

Mary Thomson LeMense

 

This is a hard one for me to write.  We have all experienced different chapters in our lives; chapters that

begin and eventually come to end.  Well, that is how my experience at Family Promise can be described.

I started working here in August 2006, almost 7 years ago.  I came as the Interim Executive Director, helping run the program while the board searched for a permanent Executive Director.  I had agreed to stay through November of that year, but extended my time as the search continued.  Nicole Craig was hired and began working here on January 1, 2007.  I stayed for a while longer to help train her and then was offered the part time position of Director of Family Support services.  By that time I had absolutely fallen in love with this program and everything it represents.  So I continued here part time until September of 2008 when Nicole decided to leave to return to her former position at the Disability Resource Center.

I expressed my desire to be hired in her place and began as the full time Executive Director in October of 2008.  Since that time this agency has seen many changes.  In 2009 we hired Anne Umbach as our full time Director of Family Support Services.  This hire involved a step out in faith that we would be able to continue raising the money to sustain her in a full time position which we have.

The Network has grown and continues to grow.  We joined the Knoxville Chamber and also now have a Board member who has joined the West Knoxville/Farragut Chamber of Commerce.  More and more people are aware of our existence as well as the existence of homeless children and their families in Knox County.  We continued to hold our annual signature event – the Pasta Cook-Off with last years’ event bringing in more than $53,000!

I say all this to say my chapter of being the Executive Director at Family Promise of Knoxville is coming to an end.  On October 16^th I will turn 65 years old – a day I have looked forward to for a very long time.  I have given the Board my formal letter of resignation effective that day.  I tell you this while expressing much appreciation for all the support you have given me and this agency since Day One.  You have all been so supportive and I love and will miss each and every one of you.  I pray that you will give the new Executive Director as much support as you have given me.  I know you will!

My hope is that I can stay involved as a volunteer, not just at my church, but with the Network itself.  I realize there is till 5 months until the date of October 16^th, but I gave my notice this early in order to give the board ample time to find the right person and bring them in.  I have offered to help train the new person and introduce them to everyone possible – donors, volunteers, pastors, priests, etc.

Until then, I will continue to do the job I love and enjoy being here with the families and working with each of you while looking forward to the Pasta Cook-Off.  With your help we can make this one even bigger and more successful than last year!!  If you have any questions please feel free to contact Siobhan Warren, Board Chair – siobhanwarren@gmail.com or Anthony Burns, Chair of the Recruitment Committee – Anthony@knoxvillefumc.org.

With great memories,

Joyce

  

 As I sit in my office at the Harley House on this beautiful Spring day I am thinking about the families and especially the children who have passed through these doors over the past almost 8 years.   One of the children currently in the program is a sweet little strawberry blonde 2 year old with Shirley temple curls who just wins my heart daily!  All of the children we’ve seen come through the program with their parents are so sweet.  They are the innocent victims of unfortunate decisions and circumstances that have put their family in a homeless situation. 

    As I think about these children, I can’t help but think about the children whose family needs shelter.  The calls for family shelter continue to increase.   We remain committed to our goal, established in 2005, to grow to include a second rotation of congregations and organizations to allow us to work with more families.

    As many of you know we began a building campaign last fall in an attempt to purchase a building we had identified and made an offer to buy.  Unfortunately we were not able to raise enough of the funds needed to close on the property so we withdrew our offer.  The funds we had raised are safely invested in a CD restricted to be used solely for the purpose of obtaining a building.  The Board of Directors is continuing to pursue a new day center to improve our daily operations and allow the programs to expand.  We are continuing to raise funds for the building campaign.

    Currently we have a full house of four families, all working hard to meet their goals, move into housing and graduate the program.  We are anticipating the end of the school year and the warm summer months ahead.  We recently had a great group from Fuse church spend an afternoon doing yard work and sprucing up the house.   These groups always leave me rejuvenated and thankful for a wonderful community of volunteers and supporters.

    I would encourage all of you to continue to spread a little love today and every day.   Did you know that recently it was Random Acts of Kindness Week?  One day’s suggested act was – Donate time or money to a local charity!   Family Promise of Knoxville would love to be the recipient of your Random Act of Kindness! 

Wishing you a wonderful Spring,

Joyce