Family Promise and Clayton® Announce ‘A Future Begins at Home’ Partnership to Help Prevent and End Family Homelessness

November 19, 2019

Organizations kick off housing program and awareness initiatives with home donation for a once homeless, Colorado Springs family

Colorado Springs, CO., Nov 19, 2019 – Family Promise, national non-profit, and Clayton, one of the nation’s off-site and on-site home builders, have announced their partnership called A Future Begins at Home. This partnership represents a robust and innovative initiative to create a prevention and stabilization housing program, which Family Promise Affiliates can use nationwide when assisting local families in need.

Both organizations believe that by addressing the underlying causes of homelessness and the affordable housing crisis together, communities take one step toward becoming a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood and the chance to build a better future.

“Family Promise’s holistic approach to the crisis of family homelessness includes three key areas of focus: prevention, shelter and stabilization,” said Claas Ehlers, CEO of Family Promise. “And with this partnership with Clayton, we are moving families from being homeless to homeowners – and helping them to create sustainable independence.”

The partnership supports Family Promise’s approach to not just care for families actively experiencing homelessness, but to also support families facing housing instability. A Future Begins at Home integrates:

  • Educational outreach and resource development to deliver a strong prevention program through targeted intervention.
  • Smart programming that includes comprehensive case management and ongoing resources such as graduate support services and assistance.
  • Incorporating the use of non-traditional, affordable housing solutions for graduate families, like manufactured, or off-site built, housing and shared housing.

Another element of the partnership is that Clayton has periodically gifted off-site built homes to formerly homeless Family Promise families as a permanent housing solution. Since the partnership was first announced in 2018, the latest family to receive a home was in October 2019. After leaving a negative relationship, Sara Warren, a Colorado Springs single-mom of two young children struggled to find employment and shelter for her family. With the support of her local Family Promise Affiliate, she was able to secure a fulfilling job and provide stability for her kids. She achieved the dream of homeownership when she was gifted a Clayton Built® home located in Rocky Mountain Homeowners Co-Op, a resident-owned community, part of the national ROC USA network.

“ROC USA Network and its Colorado affiliate Thistle Communities were thrilled to be able to participate with Family Promise and Clayton in the effort to deliver the Warren family a new home,” said Paul Bradley, president of ROC USA. “By joining the Rocky Mountain resident-owned community, Sara and her children are receiving the gift of sustainable homeownership in a supportive community.”

“We are so passionate about the mission to end family homelessness, and it’s an honor to join Family Promise in this important partnership and further Clayton’s commitment to opening doors to a better life through attainable homeownership,” said Susan Brown, director of philanthropy for Clayton. “We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve homeownership and have a safe, secure home of their own.”

With family homelessness showing no signs of lessening, A Future Begins at Home is critical to Family Promise’s next phase of work. Together with Clayton, the organization can reach its goal to serve an additional 10,000 children by 2021, and work toward its aspiration to serve 1 million children by 2030 so that every family has a home, a livelihood and the chance to build a better future.

ABOUT CLAYTON

Founded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness® through homeownership. As a diverse home builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing, including modular homes, manufactured homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. In 2018, Clayton delivered 47,570 homes to families across America. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com.

ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE

Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and served more than 125,000 family members in 2018. Family Promise will change the future for 1 million children by 2030. For more information about Family Promise, please visit FamilyPromise.org

ABOUT ROC USA

ROC USA, headquartered in Concord, NH, has a mission of preserving affordable communities by making resident ownership of manufactured home communities (or, “mobile home parks”) viable and successful nationwide. ROC USA – and its two subsidiaries, ROC USA Network and ROC USA Capital – was launched May of 2008 and today serves 248 co-op communities and 17,000 homeowner/Members in 17 states. ROCUSA.org

Media Contacts

Kelly Andrews
kelly@hlstrategy.com

Katie Coughlin
kcoughlin@familypromise.org

Dial 211 to find more resources near you.