The Family Promise Program provides more than just shelter. We help homeless families cope with their current housing crisis and teach them life-skills that will enable them to return to independent living and self-sufficiency. Guests in the program are served during the day at our Day Center and are transported by van to Host Congregations at night. Congregations are only available in the evenings from 5:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. Unless working, guests arrive at the Host Congregation, usually by the Family Promise van, between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. each evening. There, volunteers will prepare and serve our families meals and provide safe sleeping quarters. Every night dinner is served family style at approximately 6:00 p.m.; items are available to pack sack lunches for the following day, and each morning breakfast is served before guests leave the Host Congregation. During the week guests learn life-skills tied to job readiness/retention, tenant aspects, budgeting, healthy communities and nutrition. Each morning, at 7 a.m., the families are transported back to our Day Center, where they search for jobs and housing, and receive case management support as they work on self-sufficiency plans. On Sundays, families pack up their belongings and volunteers move the beds and luggage to a new congregation where each family will stay for another week. Family Promise offers assessment, service planning, referrals, and advocacy to our guests. The Director and the family develop individualized self-sufficiency plans as a team. All adults continually work on their goals. A family’s stay in the program is contingent upon positive participation and active efforts toward goal achievement. Typically our guests graduate from the program in 2 or 3 months.