Family Promise of Athens is gearing up for Family Promise of Athens Day this week. The nonprofit organization works with families experiencing homelessness.
"Mayor Kelly Girtz has proclaimed Wednesday, April 21st, as "Family Promise Day' in Athens-Clarke County. That day is actually the national "Family Promise Giving Day" and across the nation, folks will have the opportunity to make a gift to a Family Promise affiliate. We're one of 207 in the United States and we were the hundredth affiliate. "
Executive Director Davin Welter says the Athens branch has been helping since 2004.
"Families come to us, we provide them with shelter, food, and transportation. We then help them identify the barriers to moving into permanent housing, and then we help them move in to permanent housing."
Welter says they have recently expanded their efforts.
"We know that it is cheaper and obviously less traumatic for families to stay in their own home, so we've been doing some prevention work with the Clarke County School District and by providing rental assistance and utility assistance."
Family Promise has also started a diversion program, which means they divert families from shelters and extended stay facilities into permanent housing.
Family Promise Giving Day is a 24-hour online campaign to raise awareness and funds to support families across America experiencing homelessness or at-risk of losing their housing. In addition to providing emergency shelter, Family Promise focuses on preventing families from becoming homeless in the first place.
For more information or to donate, visit FPGives.org.
