Volunteer Spotlight: Jon Peters

Superstar volunteer Jon Peters has dedicated hundreds of hours over the past 20 years volunteering for organizations and serving those in need in the Southern California community.

Having lived in Southern California for decades, Jon spent many years in Pasadena, California, before moving to Orange County. Jon was introduced to Family Promise of Orange County through his church, Trinity United Presbyterian Church Santa Ana, a Family Promise partner congregation. Jon has since spent the past five years volunteering to help Family Promise families. He has volunteered at Trinity when the church has hosted families on their campus, and Jon currently also helps out around the Family Promise office with a wide variety of tasks - whatever is needed to help out!

Jon says he loves working with Family Promise because “they are a national organization that challenges families to get on their feet again, but also provides families with helpful resources to accomplish these goals.” One of Jon’s favorite memories from volunteering with Family Promise over the years is the Christmas festivities. He says that helping with the Christmas presents and decorations always puts a smile on his face knowing that he can help families experience some holiday cheer during a difficult time.

Currently, Jon is selling his business, which means that he will have even more time to volunteer! We at Family Promise could not be more appreciative for the dedication and commitment Jon has shown as a volunteer for our program. Thank you, Jon!

To start your volunteer journey with Family Promise of Orange County, visit www.familypromiseoc.org/volunteer.

Congregation Spotlight: Community United Methodist Church Huntington Beach

This week’s Congregation Spotlight highlights another one of our partner host congregations, Community United Methodist Church Huntington Beach, located in Huntington Beach, California. This congregation has been an active member of the Huntington Beach community since 1904. Their Senior Pastor, George Hooper, grew up practicing stories from the Bible and felt a calling and desire to serve in a leadership role. Through weekly services that include uplifting music, inspirational readings and practices learned from the Bible, Community members strive to feel a deep connection to one another and to God.

Members and guests of Community UMCHB also understand that “God has no hands and feet but our loving hands and feet.” The church generously supports a number of community outreach and world mission programs with their gifts and service, including Family Promise of Orange County! Howard Herdman serves as the Coordinator of the Family Promise outreach ministry at the church. Howard and his team of volunteers have helped establish a great ongoing partnership between Community United Methodist Church Huntington Beach and Family Promise of Orange County that we are very thankful for!

The Housing Crisis in America

Happy 4th of July! While the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be more in control as the number of cases continues to decrease, there are still lasting economic impacts due to the pandemic that will take much longer to get better. One of these major issues is the housing crisis in America.

Before the pandemic even started, lack of affordable housing was a prevalent issue in society. Specifically in California (and several other heavily populated states), residents had been forced to double-up in apartments and houses, or to have to find shelter on the streets due to the insane increase of prices that have occurred over the past few years (Source: nytimes.com). The high cost of housing has been a significant problem for several years and continues to have significance today.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an increase in unemployment rates, instability with living situations, and extra stress when caring for families. In a survey conducted in January of 2021, almost 20% of renters were behind on their payments (Source: ifstudies.org). Families, especially ones with school-aged children, had to make difficult decisions when it came to remaining safely housed. To help try to combat this crisis, Congress passed a COVID-19 economic relief bill that provided $25 billion to states and local governments to help them provide emergency rental assistance to those in need. (Source: ifstudies.org).

Here at Family Promise of Orange County we aim to raise awareness of the severity of the housing crisis in America, especially during this past pandemic year. We believe that all families deserve to be safely housed, so we work hard to ensure that the families we serve are able to live independently and happily!