around town HAPPENINGS
KEEPING THE FAITH Palm Beach County Leaders Attend Family Promise Day Center Launch
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early 100 Palm Beach County community leaders gathered recently for a ribbon cutting and open house to launch the new Family Promise Day Center at Holy Spirit Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach. The event honored donors, volunteers and supporters of the new nonprofit organization designed to offer homeless families the necessary support services to enable them to achieve their independence. “We’re very proud that our community has gained a valuable resource and partner to help local children and families currently struggling with homelessness,” said Rhonda B. Clinton, executive di-
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Kathy A. Perry, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio and Rhonda B. Clinton
rector for Family Promise. “Every child deserves a home.” Guests at the ribbon cutting toured the day center and learned that families now make up 40 percent of Palm Beach County’s homeless population, and that there are more than 2,000 reported homeless children in the Palm Beach County School District. The new local organization is part of a national network representing 5,000 congregations and 135,000 volunteers working on behalf of families in transition. More than 350,000 individuals are served nationally. “On any given night nearly 2,000
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homeless children in Palm Beach County may have nowhere to sleep,” Clinton said. “Other programs in our community are not able to meet the increasing demand for services. Many of these families are sleeping in local parks or living in their cars. People come to Family Promise because there is nowhere else to go. Family Promise is closing the door to homelessness and opening the door for families.” The agency takes referrals from local social service agencies to help families secure housing, employment and more. On a rotating ba-
sis, a unique network of interfaith congregations provides overnight lodging, meals and fellowship for three to five families from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. A network van then transports families to the Family Promise Day Center, which offers a mailing address for its families and a homelike atmosphere where they can conduct job and home searches and care for their pre-school-aged children. School-aged children are transported to Palm Beach County schools from the Day Center. O
L For more information or to volunteer, call 561318-8864 or visit familypromisencpbc.org.