Q. Where do you get your funding?
A. Mostly from private sources
Most other shelter programs in the metro area are funded by counties and by fees paid by homeless
families. Family Promise of Anoka County is different — all of our services are supported by donationsfrom individuals, families, congregations, corporations and foundations. We also have some governmentsupport, in the form of grants for specific expenses or programs.

Q. Can I get involved even if my church doesn’t?
A. Yes, of course—more than anything else we need people!
Family Promise of Anoka County is just starting out and we need a host of people with different skill setsincluding:

• Day Center Volunteers
• Drivers
• Fundraising to individuals. organizations, businesses, foundations
• congregation recruitment
• finances
• communication
• Public relations
• website content and maintenance

Q. What makes FPAC different from other traditional shelter programs?
A. FPAC uses congregational facilities for overnight shelter.
Unlike most emergency shelters, the families in our shelter do not stay 24 hours a day in a central facility.Instead, our overnight services are provided in a network of local congregations. Our families usually stayat each congregation for one week at a time. Each congregation, through their volunteers, provides: food,beds and fellowship. During the day, the families make our Day Center their home base, going to and from school or jobs, and looking for employment or housing.

Q. Is there a cost to participate in the FPAC program?
A. No.
Most other shelter programs in the metro area are funded by counties and by fees paid by homeless
families. Family Promise of Anoka County is different — all of our services are supported by donationsfrom individuals, families, congregations, corporations and foundations. We also have some government support, in the form of grants for specific expenses or program

Q. How do guest families spend their day?
A. There is structured and leisure time.
Our guest families arise early Sunday through Friday, ready to ride the FPAC van back to the Day Center by 7:30 a.m. (On Saturday, the schedule is more relaxed, allowing time for a more leisurely breakfast.) Volunteers who have slept overnight in their hosting congregation with the families or have come in early to set out breakfast are always ready to help the parents get the children ready and on the bus on time. At the Day Center in Coon Rapids, guest families have storage lockers for their belongings and have free access to our laundry facilities, showers, kitchen, computers and books. School-age children go to school; adults with jobs go to work. Parents of small children spend their days in the Day Center, caring for their own children and using the Day Center telephone to search for housing for their family. At the end of the day, everyone comes back to the Day Center in preparation for the bus ride back to the overnight host congregation. After helping to clean and tidy the Center’s living room and kitchen, all of the guests board the bus at 5:30 p.m. At the hosting congregation, volunteers are ready with supper, conversation and toys for the children to play with. After working with the volunteers to clean up the supper dishes, the guests make lunches for the next day and relax before everyone goes to bed. This includes one or two volunteers from the congregation, who stay to make sure that everyone stays safe and warm all night.

Q. What do you mean by “Interfaith Congregations”?
A. Christian, Jewish, Mormaon, Muslim—any faith.
Family Promise does not care what faith community wants to get involved as long as they can commit to providing a safe overnight environment, enough volunteers to accomodate the needs of guest family, attend and adhere to the training.

Q. Are most homeless people on welfare and unemployed?
A. Not as many as you might think.
Homelessness is not limited to the unemployed. In 2009, the Wilder Foundation found that more than onethird of all homeless parents in Minnesota reported that they were employed.

Q. How does homelessness affect children?
A. Homelessness damages children.
Homelessness damages children. The Family Housing Fund conducted a survey of professional research on the effect of homelessness in 1999. They concluded that homeless children are not merely at risk of damage, most also suffer specific physical, psychological and emotional damage due to experiencing homelessness. Physical health: Homeless children consistently exhibit more health problems, have higher risk for infectious diseases, are at greater risk for asthma and lead poisoning and generally lack access to consistent health care. Emotional health: Homeless children suffer stresses and trauma that they are unprepared to handle, leading to severe emotional distress, higher incidence of mental disorders and frequent episodes of unacceptable behavior, although they usually do not have access to professional assistance for these problems. Academic development: Homeless children’s academic performance is seriously affected by their poor physical and emotional health, as well as by the number of times that they are forced to change schools and teachers due to their family’s unstable housing and frequent moves.