DARLINGTON - A group of churches have begun organizing a program to help homeless families in Lafayette County, although it could be a year before the system is fully established to provide services.
Planning for Family Promise of Lafayette County may only be in its beginning steps, but organizers, including Pastor Angie Steinhauser of the United Methodist Church in Darlington and Fayette, see plans moving in the right direction.
"Our hope is that you can be in the program until you find a place to live," Steinhauser said. "The second big benefit of that is the Day Center to help them find and utilize resources and get them back on their feet. It gives them independence."
A committee to establish Family Promise is made up of people both from Lafayette and Iowa counties. The organization would be spread out throughout the two counties, which means 14 host churches would be ideal, Steinhauser said. She added that the recruitment process has been gradually moving forward. Only one church has fully committed to hosting area families dealing with homelessness, but there are three to four churches "strongly considering it," she said.
With stable, but temporary housing, the program would shuttle individuals to a central location, the Day Center, to provide advice and resources to adults trying to better their circumstances.
Hannah Campbell Gustafson, co-chair of the Lafayette County Homeless Coalition, said while she is not affiliated with planning for the Family Promise in Lafayette County, she finds the idea promising. The coalition meets monthly to discuss issues homeless people face locally. Members also work to be more informed.
She said that while the stereotypical image of a homeless person is a beggar in the streets, the reality that families face in places such as Lafayette County is having to make ongoing requests to stay with various friends or living in their vehicles for extended periods of time.
Campbell Gustafson said the coalition has worked to provide better resources to those in the area who are looking to help others find a short-term place to stay, but an added program would be another positive impact.
"There are no shelters in Lafayette County, so I think there's a strong feeling that something different needs to happen," Campbell Gustafson said.
With families staying in churches throughout the two counties, the Day Center would need to be a central point. Hosts would serve a week at a time. The goal is to provide each family their own space, a meal and helpful resources. The program organizers hope to provide stability, something Campbell Gustafson noted was important for young people.
"My own opinion is that if there is any child that doesn't have a place to go home, then we need to do something about it," Campbell Gustafson said. "We're finding that (problem) is happening in Lafayette County."
She said she is also excited that people were thinking about organizing such a program and is looking forward to a majority of the community becoming involved to be more accepting of everyone within the county.
Steinhauser said the goal for the area Family Promise program is to have secured all housing options before organizers are instructed by the national level of Family Promise on how to conduct the program. If all goes according to an optimistic schedule, Steinhauser said the network would be functional at the beginning of 2018. However, if churches are not willing to pledge their involvement and not enough resources can be gathered by summer, they may need to "evaluate what can be done."
Planning for Family Promise of Lafayette County may only be in its beginning steps, but organizers, including Pastor Angie Steinhauser of the United Methodist Church in Darlington and Fayette, see plans moving in the right direction.
"Our hope is that you can be in the program until you find a place to live," Steinhauser said. "The second big benefit of that is the Day Center to help them find and utilize resources and get them back on their feet. It gives them independence."
A committee to establish Family Promise is made up of people both from Lafayette and Iowa counties. The organization would be spread out throughout the two counties, which means 14 host churches would be ideal, Steinhauser said. She added that the recruitment process has been gradually moving forward. Only one church has fully committed to hosting area families dealing with homelessness, but there are three to four churches "strongly considering it," she said.
With stable, but temporary housing, the program would shuttle individuals to a central location, the Day Center, to provide advice and resources to adults trying to better their circumstances.
Hannah Campbell Gustafson, co-chair of the Lafayette County Homeless Coalition, said while she is not affiliated with planning for the Family Promise in Lafayette County, she finds the idea promising. The coalition meets monthly to discuss issues homeless people face locally. Members also work to be more informed.
She said that while the stereotypical image of a homeless person is a beggar in the streets, the reality that families face in places such as Lafayette County is having to make ongoing requests to stay with various friends or living in their vehicles for extended periods of time.
Campbell Gustafson said the coalition has worked to provide better resources to those in the area who are looking to help others find a short-term place to stay, but an added program would be another positive impact.
"There are no shelters in Lafayette County, so I think there's a strong feeling that something different needs to happen," Campbell Gustafson said.
With families staying in churches throughout the two counties, the Day Center would need to be a central point. Hosts would serve a week at a time. The goal is to provide each family their own space, a meal and helpful resources. The program organizers hope to provide stability, something Campbell Gustafson noted was important for young people.
"My own opinion is that if there is any child that doesn't have a place to go home, then we need to do something about it," Campbell Gustafson said. "We're finding that (problem) is happening in Lafayette County."
She said she is also excited that people were thinking about organizing such a program and is looking forward to a majority of the community becoming involved to be more accepting of everyone within the county.
Steinhauser said the goal for the area Family Promise program is to have secured all housing options before organizers are instructed by the national level of Family Promise on how to conduct the program. If all goes according to an optimistic schedule, Steinhauser said the network would be functional at the beginning of 2018. However, if churches are not willing to pledge their involvement and not enough resources can be gathered by summer, they may need to "evaluate what can be done."