St. Andrew By-The-Sea UMC is happy to support Family Promise of Beaufort County. Family Promise of Beaufort County, one of over 200 affiliates in 43 states, opened its doors in July 2008 and remains the only Shelter Program in Beaufort and Jasper counties that serves homeless children, aged 18 and under, and their families.
Family Promise of Beaufort County offers three programs to assist its families:
Get on Track! is its eviction prevention program. This program assists families with rent and utilities to help keep them housed.
Shelter is a 90-day program that provides families with temporary shelter, meals, comprehensive case management, and other services to assist families in their journey to sustaining independence. The Shelter Program capacity is 4 families, or 14 individuals.
Staying on Track is an opportunity for its Shelter graduates to receive an additional 12 months of financial and case management assistance. Over 90% of families who have graduated from the program are still in permanent housing after one year.
Since inception Family Promise of Beaufort County has assisted over 1,000 children and their parents in its programs. Prior to COVID-19 the organization operated a rotational model which involved families being sheltered overnight in local congregations in the area. As a result of the pandemic, Family Promise had to find an alternative solution, housing the families in a local extended-stay hotel, which continues to be the model.
Many families have experienced generational poverty and cyclical homelessness, and the goal is to help break the cycle by providing comprehensive case management and assistance in securing employment, medical care, childcare, school placement, and ultimately affordable housing.
Currently, St. Andrew By-The-Sea’s Soup Kitchen prepares one meal each month to the families and the coordinators deliver them. The church also collects products on Suds Sundays for Family Promise families.
For more information about the organization and St. Andrew’s involvement, email Dee Grubb at bdgrubb@gmail.com and check out the video below.