Become a Host or Support Congregation

VOLUNTEERS OF ALL FAITHS CHANGING LIVES

Family Promise of Orange County’s Emergency Shelter Program relies on a partnership of interfaith congregations and other volunteer groups to help local families facing homelessness. Our host sites provide lodging, meals, and hospitality to families in need. For families in the program, each day begins with breakfast at a host site with volunteers, and then time spent at the Family Resource Center. In the evening, guests return to the host site, where volunteers provide dinner and spend some quality time. The evening hours are for homework, relaxing and family fun time, as they would be with any family. Each day ends with the family all together, under one roof.

HOST CONGREGATIONS

Local houses of worship provide temporary overnight lodging in otherwise unused spaces in their buildings. A host congregation team of volunteers may be involved with the following:

Cooking and hosting dinner

Spending the evening with families, talking, tutoring kids or playing games

Sleeping overnight in the congregation

Coordinating children’s crafts & activities

Donating necessary supplies for the hosting week

Setting up and breaking down guest families’ rooms

MANAGEABLE COMMITMENT

Families stay overnight, not 24 hours a day

Each congregation hosts families for just one week, four times a year. Congregations can choose to do two weeks concurrently, twice a year, if more convenient

Guests consist of only two to four families (14 children & adults max)

Family Promise runs criminal background checks and drug screenings on all program participants

The program provides all necessary supplies (air mattresses, bedding) and transports everything to each new weekly host location

Shower facilities on-site are not required to become a host congregation! Family Promise of Orange County has a shower trailer that is fully functional and can be parked in the parking lot to be utilized by our families for showering needs

We need your help! Can your faith group become a host or support congregation?

SUPPORT CONGREGATIONS

Support congregations, while not hosting families directly, support the network by providing volunteers for host sites, supplies and food for the families, and in some cases financial support for families when they graduate our program.