Family Promise of Jacksonville
Family
Promise of Jacksonville is a non-profit, interfaith hospitality
network providing temporary shelter, meals, hospitality, and case
management for families experiencing homelessness. We do this through
the participation of local congregations, dedicated staff, and hundreds
of volunteers.
The Inspiration Behind Family Promise.
The inspiration
for Family Promise began with a woman who regularly encountered
homeless people in New York City. Karen Olson, now President of the
organization nationally, came to know many of the city’s homeless people
after she and her two sons began to bring food to them.Olson
soon learned even in her home community of Union County, NJ, there were
hundreds of homeless people, including families. She looked to the
religious community for help, convinced that together they could do what
they couldn’t do alone. Within
ten months, 11 area congregations came forward to provide hospitality
space within their buildings. All the pieces fell into place and on
October 27, 1986, the first Interfaith Hospitality Network opened its
doors.
Since
then, Family Promise has established 181 affiliates in 41 states, using
the services of more than 130,000 volunteers and 5000 congregations.
IHN provides shelter, meals, housing, and job placement support to more
than 20,000 homeless family members annually, 58 percent of them
children.
Making a Difference in Our Community.
Family
Promise of Jacksonville opened its doors to families in need on June
12, 2006 and our first family consisted of 2 moms with 6
children between them. Since that time we have served many more families
in crisis and will continue to do so for years to come.