Latest news with #FamilyPromise
Chicago Tribune
11-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
CoAction selling Valparaiso property as strategy shifts toward preventing homelessness
CoAction is selling its property at 2001 Calumet Ave. in Valparaiso to invest in more modern housing. It's a pivot toward housing that people making less than $30 an hour can afford. 'We're trying to direct ourselves more into the diversion of homelessness,' President and CEO Jen Trowbridge said Wednesday. The former apartment building, built in 1966, was acquired by Housing Opportunities in 2011, Chief Housing Officer Jordan Stanfill said. Housing Opportunities merged with CoAction in August 2023. 'As mergers go, you have to do a lot of business decisions,' Trowbridge said. Among them was examining whether it would be smart to invest an estimated $5 million into the former apartment building to refresh it or sell it and build new elsewhere. The Housing Opportunities board had been pondering it for a few years before putting the decision on hold while the merger was being contemplated. In addition to the housing units, CoAction has office space spread over three stories in the building closest to Calumet Avenue. There are a lot of small rooms, but they're not conducive to networking and collaborating, not to mention accessibility issues. 'Even on the staff end, it's not ideal,' Trowbridge said. Several years ago, the property was valued at about $2.5 million. 'We could do a better investment if we're not putting money into this property and repairing it,' CoAction decided. The property includes 15 units for low-income housing and some shelter use. Programs like Family Promise and Daybreak have done much to help people in crisis, Trowbridge said. CoAction is leaving that sector of the housing assistance field to them. 'We want to be in the diversion space and the housing stability space,' she said. The units at Calumet Avenue devoted to shelter use aren't ideal. 'Once they live in an apartment-like setting, it's hard to transition them out,' Trowbridge said. 'Shelters need to have some communal elements to it.' CoAction has other properties throughout seven counties in Northwest Indiana, including some in Valparaiso. 'We actually added 36 units to Valpo over the last three years,' she said. 'We build in Lake, Porter, LaPorte. We can build in rural,' Trowbridge said. 'The hardest part is the land and zoning.' Where the next homes will be developed depends on where suitable land can be found. It has to be zoned correctly, and the city has to be committed to housing people earning less than $30 an hour. Like other agencies, CoAction applies for special tax credit funding to subsidize the housing. It's a competitive process, with only 30% of grant applications successful. With that assistance, CoAction can build apartments that retail, restaurant and other workers can afford, Trowbridge said. 'We like to build usually no less than 30 units. Thirty to 50 units is usually great for a project,' with two buildings possible for larger developments. Across the region, CoAction's portfolio has 275 units. Selling the Calumet Avenue property will bring that number to 260, but Trowbridge hopes to quickly increase it to 300. She'd like to see 100 new units built every year, but that's not easy to accomplish. Money from the sale of the Calumet Avenue property will help close the funding gap for new projects. Even with the incentives, Trowbridge said, 'there's still a $1 million gap or maybe more, depending on what the project is.' Trowbridge acknowledged there has been a lot of attention lately on housing affordability. Builders erect higher-priced homes to get more profit than they would from less expensive homes. Those high-priced homes are needed so people can move up to more deluxe homes, freeing up others along all price points. But with supply low and demand high, she said, 'the city has to be intentional and create special housing for people who can only afford $150,000 or $200,000.' As the agency looks for a buyer, existing residents at the Calumet Avenue site will be transitioned into housing elsewhere. 'This sale is about doing more, not less, for our communities,' Stanfill said. 'We are committed to expanding affordable housing and continuing to work closely with our local partners to make that happen.' Housing is just one area where CoAction helps Northwest Indiana residents. 'We're all over Valpo supporting the residents, from prenatal care to older adults,' Trowbridge said. 'We're a community development org. We're all over Valpo in a lot of ways.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Family Promise holds event to discuss affordable healthcare
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Family Promise of the Coastal Empire, whose mission it is to end homelessness in our community, will host a public event to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing families today: access to affordable healthcare. Family Promise's CEO Katrina Bostick joined WSAV News 3's Andrew Davis on First News at Four to talk about their upcoming breakfast forum. Featured guests are Dr. Rena Douse, CEO, JC Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Linton Hester, Licensed Professional Counselor, LLC and Dr. Fran Witt, CEO, Effingham Health Systems. Reserve your ticket here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘We stay on top of it.' New Pierce County homeless shelter hub showing success
Less than a year since coming on line, Pierce County's homeless shelter intake hub has helped more than 1,400 individuals find shelter. Last summer, it was announced that Family Promise of Pierce County would receive a $1 million grant from the county to create the county's first-ever homeless shelter access hub. With that funding, the organization leased a portion of an unused school building in Parkland to serve as a centralized intake hub for anyone experiencing homelessness in Pierce County to receive help finding shelter. While the shelter intake hub did not reach full operating capacity until November 2024, Family Promise of Pierce County told The News Tribune staff had helped refer 1,452 individuals experiencing homelessness into shelter as of May 20, 2025. Before Family Promise and the shelter intake hub, the only hotline available to families and individuals experiencing homelessness was the county's 211 line — which could only be used between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Family Promise now operates a 24/7 hotline for any individual or family experiencing or at risk of homelessness. During the Pierce County Council's Health and Human Services Committee meeting on May 20, Family Promise of Pierce County CEO Steve Decker reported the organization's progress. 'People can go to they can call us, they can text us, they can show up in-person with an appointment, and we can do the intake in 15 different languages and connect them to emergency resources,' Decker told committee members about the organization's efforts to reduce barriers. He said the intake process can be as short as answering seven questions. 'Which means it is not a big barrier to get people's information enough to contact them and connect them to services,' he told the committee. Alternatively, Decker said, the organization has a longer intake process for more involved case management that uses over 240 points of data for individuals and families. In his presentation, Decker reported the shelter intake hub places an average of 121 individuals or families into shelter each month. The hub receives thousands of calls and text each month from people in crisis. Decker said a large part of Family Promise's success has been achieved through diligent and consistent communication with clients. Past intake programs funded by the county, such as Coordinated Entry, have been criticized by some left wondering when they will be contacted for follow-up. 'In our contract with the county, the requirement was that we return people's contact within 24 hours from initial contact,' Decker told the Health and Human Services Committee. 'I tell my staff that they only have an hour.' He reported to the committee Family Promise averages about a 10-minute follow-up time from when someone texts, fills out an intake online or calls. 'We stay on top of it,' Decker said. 'We want someone who is in crisis to know that someone is paying attention to them. Even if they are a family and we have to tell them that there is no [shelter] availability.' Decker said his organization has identified a number of barriers to getting families and individuals experiencing homelessness into shelter. The number one barrier is strict shelter requirements. He said strict requirements could be anything from requiring someone to pass a drug test to requiring that someone does not have certain prior criminal offenses while other offenses are allowable. Some shelters, such as non-congregate shelters, will not allow children with or without an adult. Duke Paulson is the executive director of the Tacoma Rescue Mission — one of the largest operators of shelter in Pierce County. The organization also operates the largest family shelter in the county. Paulson previously told The News Tribune shelters that serve youth and families are required to implement stricter screening processes than for low-barrier shelters, in some cases limiting the options for families seeking shelter. Family Promise of Pierce County has been involved in Pierce County's homelessness response for a little over a year. Its model has been to focus on unhoused families with children, utilizing AI and diligent case management to cut through bureaucratic barriers. According to data reported by Family Promise, families they have helped into shelter spent an average of 26 days in emergency shelter. 'That is fast,' Decker told the committee. Of the 145 families the organization has helped into stable housing since the organization began operations near the beginning of 2024, only four have done so with subsidized housing vouchers. Meaning, 141 of those families were able to find and pay for housing on their own. 'That's the model.' Decker told the committee. 'We shouldn't have people depend on [the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] or the lottery systems to get off the street.'
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Clayton gifts $20K to Family Promise to support homeless families
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Family Promise of Greater Roanoke has received a $20,000 grant from Clayton Homes, boosting support for families in Roanoke City, County, and Salem in need of housing. Funds will aid families who are experiencing homelessness to find a home quickly to regain stability. The 'A Future Begins at Home' initiative began in 2019 and has served more than 30,000 families. Roanoke Planning staff working on zoning reform with focus on housing expansion 'The partnership between Family Promise and Greater Roanoke will allow us to serve more families. The goal is to prevent families from coming into shelter by providing short-term case management and services to help them overcome the largest obstacle to finding suitable housing,' says Amy M. Morgan, Executive Director. 'We are very excited to be chosen for this opportunity.' Clayton's financial support has donated over 18 homes to the Family Promise national network since 2019 to allow families to stay together and aid them in working to find permanent housing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin denies request to extend FEMA application deadline in GA
RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WSAV) — The Trump administration denied Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's request to extend the deadline for Hurricane Helene victims to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Friday. However, hurricane victims in coastal Georgia, one of the areas hit hardest by Helene, haven't all necessarily rebuilt and moved on. 'They sent a field person here, but the people making those decisions are the ones that need to be here and see,' Barry Doepp, a victim of hurricanes Debby and Helene, said. In response to Kemp's request, a senior official with the Trump administration said, 'It has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested for major disaster fema-4830-dr is not warranted.' Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) responded to the Trump administration's denial this week, calling it wrong, and urging the president to reconsider. 'Trump's taken over, and I like Trump,' Doepp said. 'I voted for him. He's done a lot of good things since he's taken office in a short period of time, but that's probably one that I would question about them not extending.' While he has received money from FEMA, Doepp said the process was difficult. 'It took time because of the fact I'm not internet savvy,' Doepp said. 'I would use my phone sometimes because my main computer was down, and I would go to the Richmond Hill library sometimes.' Advocates agreed the process can be challenging. 'That rebuild looks different for everyone,' Katrina Bostick, Director of Family Promise of the Coastal Empire, said. 'So, for families that do not have a lot of resources, or there could be a tech gap or things of that nature where they don't have access to complete those applications. Not having that extension could be extremely impactful to how they make their households whole again.' Moving forward, organizations like Family Promise said they'll be stepping in to take over some of the relief efforts people can no longer apply to through FEMA. If you'd like to get in contact with Family Promise, you can find more info here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
