Orange nonprofit uses network of local churches to shelter homeless families
For more than 20 years, an Orange County nonprofit has helped the homeless using a 15-passenger van, a trailer full of cots and a network of welcoming churches.
Family Promise of Greater Orlando's efforts reduce strain on the region's limited number of homeless shelters — and represent the smaller-scale, creative options Central Florida needs to help a growing number of people without homes, homeless advocates say.
The nonprofit's work, they add, also helps the church congregants see that in many ways the homeless are "just like us."
Family Promise uses a network of nine Orange churches and its own Winter Park offices to host four families, or up to 14 individuals, at a time. They are provided meals and a safe place to sleep, staying a week at each place.
Every Sunday, those needing shelter board the van, with the cots in tow, and move to another host site, limiting the burden or disruptions at any one of the churches.
The nonprofit also works to help the families secure permanent housing.
Family Promise helped nearly 300 people last year and had to refer more than 450 families to other agencies because it was at capacity.
"Just last week, we had nine families coming to our door needing help, and it's constant," said Kathie Southern, executive director of Family Promise.
Central Florida does not have enough homeless shelter beds, and officials worry it will need even more when a new state law takes effect next week banning camping in public places.
Most of the existing shelters are in downtown Orlando. They have limited capacity and cannot accommodate everyone who needs help.
"We need units for families with young children, for seniors with chronic health challenges, for people struggling with addiction and mental illness, and for people with pets they won't leave behind," said Martha Are, CEO of the Homeless Services Network of Orange County.
There were 1,094 unsheltered people in the greater Orlando area, according to the 2024 count, nearly a 50% increase from the 2023 count that found 587 unsheltered people.
Family Promise's efforts began in 2000 and are funded by more than $80,000 in grants from Orlando and Orange County. About 70% of the families that seek shelter at Family Promise are homeless for the first time, Southern said. On average, they stay for about 60 days, and 90% move on to permanent housing.
First United Methodist Church in Winter Park, a city that has no shelters, has been a partner for more than 20 years.
Victoria Vaden, the church's program director, said about 60 volunteers help set up the cots in the church's youth lounge, cook meals for the families and speed time with them in the evenings.
Vaden said the program helps families stay together, which they cannot always do in shelters as some adult shelters do not accept children and a family shelter may not admit a single father.
"I get calls from people looking for housing and if I suggest a shelter model that separates families, they'll say, 'no, I'd rather stay in my car than be separated'," she said.
In July, the four shelter rooms in Family Promise's offices were refurbished to make them more pleasant for the families that temporarily call them home. The rooms were painted and decorated and furniture, including a desk and armoire, were added.
"The upgrades offer children and their families a more dignified and supportive environment," said Mia Poinsette, executive director of the Poinsette Foundation, which donated $6,000 for the project.
One woman now staying with Family Promise, along with her daughters, ages 3 and 12, said the upgrades make it feel more home-like.
"My baby, she actually tells me, 'Mommy, I want to go home.' She thinks this is her home," said Tabatha, who asked that her full name not be used.
Tabatha came to Family Promise about 90 days ago, after she broke up with a boyfriend and could no longer afford her rent. She took classes on resume building, dressing for success and making a budget. She now has a job at a Publix deli, and she signed a lease on an apartment, after Family Promise helped her secure a reduced payment.
She said she and her daughters are excited to move in at the end of the month.
Both Southern and Vaden said the program's reliance on the churches allows congregants to gain a new perspective on homelessness, which many blame solely on mental illness or addiction.
"It's lost jobs, it's illnesses, things happen, and unexpected expenses throw everything out of whack, and it snowballs from there," Southern said.
Vaden said members of her congregation are often uncertain on how to interact with the families staying in the church. But when they meet them, that uncertainty quickly fades.
"Frequently, the words I hear after people host families for the first time is 'Oh, they're just like us'," Vaden said.
