For Good: Family Promise opens services center for homeless in Pinellas County

Amy Hammond | Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Homeless Pinellas County families with children now have another resource to help them achieve financial independence.

Family Promise of Pinellas County (FPPC) opened its Day Center in April, enrolling select families who seek employment, housing and social services.

“This Day Center is an example of what can happen when a community comes together for the greater good,” says Debbie Nash, FPPC director.

Widespread collaboration has been invaluable in establishing the Family Promise branch in Pinellas, Nash says. With partners like Habitat for Humanity, which pledged to renovate the space, and private individuals , who are supplementing project supply costs, the common goal is to eradicate homelessness.

Twenty local faith-based congregations have committed to participate. By housing program families at various places of worship, Family Promise is able to allocate 85 percent of raised funds toward assisting children and their parents. The organization employs few individuals and relies heavily on volunteers.

The Day Center serves as “home base” for program families and is a place of intensive case management, a permanent address for participants and a bus stop for children. Participants in the program typically gain sustainable independence within 63 days. The Pinellas location at 6201 22nd Ave. N. in St. Petersburg is the 190th affiliate of Family Promise, a national organization with a 75 percent success rate in keeping families from returning to the streets.

Children are a focal point of the program. While some shelters separate families based on age, Family Promise keeps the families together. Children are also encouraged to volunteer within the organization.

“Thanks to the collective generosity of professionals and members of the community of all ages, we will be able to give a ‘hand up’ instead of a ‘hand out’ here in Pinellas County,’” says Nash.

To learn more about Family Promise of Pinellas County, register for upcoming events or volunteer, visit the organization’s website.

Read more articles by Amy Hammond.

Amy Hammond is a freelance writer and author of children’s books that encourage the next generation to attend college. When not indoctrinating youth about the necessity of higher education, she enjoys exploring the paradise that is her St. Petersburg home. She holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida and a Masters in Secondary English Education from the University of South Florida. Her work has appeared in such venues as the Tampa Bay Times. Children’s Book Titles by Amy Hammond include: When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Gator; When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a ‘Nole; When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Bull; When I Grow Up, I’m Bama Bound; When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Tiger.