The Family Promise Program is Not For Everyone

Many people may not realize the level of rigor it takes to go all the way through the program at Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels and actually become a graduate family.

Let’s walk through the process to see why this program is not for everyone.

First things first. We vet all of our families. We do not accept single people or couples without children. You must have children to be accepted.

We also do background checks and screen for drug use. We talk to the candidates to make sure they understand what we are about and what we expect. While we do offer shelter, our end goal is to “teach a man to fish” rather than just hand out fish all day.

Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day.

Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime

Our goal is for all of our families to reach sustained independence. However, most if not all of our families come to us experiencing some level of crisis. When a person is in crisis, all of that person’s mental energy goes toward survival. It is something we call “crisis brain.”

When a person has a “crisis brain” it is not possible for that brain to switch gears. It is essentially stuck in survival mode. So, the first part of our program is essential to the success of the rest of the program, although it does look a lot like we are giving handouts. There is a bigger picture. What we are really doing is helping these moms and dads switch their brains out of crisis mode so that they have the available mental energy to figure out life.

That is the next part of our program - figure out life.

We never tell anyone in our program what to do. Instead, we offer guidance. We help explain options. Often, we help put options in front of our families so that they can choose their way forward. We feel so strongly about holding a space for each person to make their own choice while offering support in managing the consequences of the choice.

Here is an example of what I mean.

Let’s say we have a single mom in our program who has always worked as a waitress. She comes to us with no job and two kids. Our first goal (after getting them stable and out of crisis brain) is to help her find work. She says she wants a job as a waitress because that is what she knows. `

We do not stand in her way, even though we have a feeling the income from her waitressing job is not going to be enough to cover her budget. She does have to have a job to stay in our program (it is one of our requirements).

So this mom takes a job waiting tables. It serves a purpose by allowing her to stay in our program and helps to get them a little savings. However, when we go to do her budget and look at the cost of living (apartment, groceries, bills), she realizes that she does not make enough money waiting tables to cover her expenses - even if she can find a reduced rent apartment, use food stamps for food, and keep her bills low.

It is so very important that she come to that conclusion on her own.

Now she has some choices. She can try to find different work. She can pursue some kind of training that would qualify her for a particular job. Or, if she is determined to keep waiting tables, she would have to figure out how to make her budget work (maybe changing the restaurant where she works to increase tips).

The point is, we never tell our families what to do. Instead, we offer support and guidance and help understanding finances and the bigger picture.

It takes a lot of commitment to become a graduate family. Many times these parents have to go way outside their comfort zone. It is hard. It can be uncomfortable. Sometimes they are learning things for the first time or facing deep embarrassment about their situation.

One recent and unofficial “test” of the resilience of our graduate families was the recent winter storm. It was tough. Would you believe that not one of our graduate families called us for help? They know they can. We were here ready to help. But they all managed with savings they had in place and the skills they needed to manage the crisis. We’d like to think that perhaps a few of those skills they picked up here.

Regardless, we are extremely proud of all of them and their hard work. We are also proud of our program that fosters such practical and sustainable independence.

Meet the Family: Melissa Elizondo

Melissa Elizondo was one of the founding members of Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels. She first got involved back in 2012 when the organization was in its infancy planning stages and attended the second FPGNB meeting ever. Her first role was serving on the building committee. Later, she returned to serve on the board from 2015-2019. Now Melissa oversees the marketing efforts of the organization. She discovered FPGNB when she and her best friend returned from their second mission trip to Haiti. They were inspired to open their own nonprofit to help homeless kids. Melissa’s business coach at the time suggested that they take a year to read and study before making any moves. So they did. They learned a lot about how some organizations hurt people more than they help them. One day, Melissa was talking to a friend about this dream and they told her about a planning committee that was meeting at a church later that week. It was an organization that helped homeless children. So, she attended the meeting to see what it was all about. She figured that instead of reinventing the wheel she would join in on the collective effort of something bigger than herself. Melissa really appreciates that Family Promise works to keep the family unit together and helps to bring stability to families that are otherwise on rocky ground. “I was not in the foster system. However, I was not raised by my own family. So I have this passion for children who are essentially homeless or displaced.” She has a dream that one-day FPGNB will be able to build a tiny house community or a small apartment complex for transitioning families that are graduating from the program and need a spot to land before stable housing becomes available to them. That way FPGNB can serve more families. When Melissa is not focused on Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, she stays very busy! She runs a marketing agency, invests in apartment complexes, and just launched her first podcast with her good friend, Todd Reavis. It’s called the Good Gossip Podcast and it’s all about spreading good, uplifting, inspiring, true stories about people.

Thank you, Melissa Elizondo, for your integral role in the founding and continued success of FPGNB.

Where Does the Money Go?

As a nonprofit organization, we depend heavily on funds we raise from local businesses and patrons. You have probably heard us announce a fundraiser or you might have seen a call for donations. Maybe you have even donated money or goods to Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels. (if you have, thank you!)

You may have wondered what happens to the money after we receive it?

Let’s take a look at where the money goes once it is donated to FPGNB.

It is important to note that we have not one but THREE major programs under our umbrella. Each one has its own focus and each of them provide individualized case management to families.

Those three are the Prevention Program (also known as the Stable Housing Initiative Program or SHIP), the Shelter Program, and the Graduate Program (New Lease on Life).

When a family seeks our help or is referred to us for help, we evaluate their needs and situation to determine which of the programs they are best suited for. We then set goals and take active steps to achieve those goals.

For example, in the Shelter program, to focus is on getting families back into their own homes. For SHIP families, we work on keeping them in their homes and regaining stability. With our graduates, they have a foundation in financial basics, and we work with them on planning for future needs and expenses.

So each group gets the focused case management they need.

One of the defining features of Family Promise is that our ultimate goal with each family is to help them either achieve or regain full independence. This sets us apart from other organizations who may work to feed, clothe, and house those in need but do not have programs in place to help them toward sustained independence.

Within our larger programs, we have additional programs that require support. One of those is our “Drive it Home” program which matches donated vehicles in good condition with graduate families in need of a vehicle. This program also occasionally helps to pay for basic repairs to keep families safe and on the road.

Depending on the family, the situation, and the goals we assist with the costs of many other things such as:

• Counseling

• Child care – day care and summer / school breaks

• Diapers

• Continuing education / job training

• Utility assistance

• Rent assistance

Not every family needs assistance with all of the things on that list and occasionally there will be a need not listed that we will help cover. For the most part, though, these are the most common needs that require funding or donations.

When a family graduates from our program, we determine their needs and then use donated funds to help them get the things they need so that they may succeed in their independence.

We are able to keep our expenses down by partnering with other nonprofits and agencies to maximize the impact at lower costs. Our volunteers and supporters are very generous and help with diaper drives and other needs that our families have.

We are so fortunate to have such a strong and willing base of support.

When you give your support to Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, you are not only helping individual families, you are also helping the larger community.

For more information on getting involved with FPGNB, call 830-214-0024.