Family Promise and The Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children & Youth proudly announce a new partnership to address the critical issue of family homelessness. The two organizations are joining forces with other direct service providers, forming a National Network to End Family Homelessness, consisting of nearly 300 agencies across all 50 states. Combining local knowledge, hands-on experience, and cutting-edge research will allow these agencies to more effectively serve families experiencing homelessness, as well as at-risk families.
More than 2.5 million children experience homelessness in our country each year. Half are younger than age six. In fact, families with children comprise 35% of the entire homeless population in the United States. With an arsenal of best practices drawn from hands-on experience in the field, and an emerging evidence base documenting what works, the solutions to family homelessness are in reach. But it requires a commitment from leaders in the space to work together; to collaborate on comprehensive and holistic programs that maximize community resources.
“The impact of homelessness on children is intense,” said Family Promise CEO Claas Ehlers. “Creating normative experiences and using community to support families has always been part of our approach. Teaming with Bassuk, we are able to put best practices around addressing stress and trauma into our work and ensure that the children and families we serve not only achieve housing, but are able to overcome the many others challenges that experiencing homelessness creates.”
All of Family Promise’s 200+ Affiliates are members of the National Network to End Family Homelessness. Through a portal on the Bassuk Center website, members can access tools, policy information, and a way to share expertise and leadership strategies with other member providers. They can join the National Network Committees: Policy, Best Practices and Program Models, Community Connections, Health, and Research and Evaluation.
The portal provides:
- Member benefits
- Information on each of the committees and how to become involved
- Resources, including best practices, research, policy alerts, and online training
- Discussion forum
Ellen Bassuk, President of The Bassuk Center, said, “Serving homeless families is rewarding and challenging work. National Network members can now connect with each other to share ideas and solutions, and raise a strong collective voice to press for greater resources to help families and children in the greatest need.”
While great progress had been made in reducing the chronic and veteran homelessness numbers over the past decade, the same success has not been enjoyed by homeless families. The gap between wages and housing costs remains untenable for many, exacerbating the need for coordinated systems and shared outcomes. The collaboration between Family Promise and the Bassuk Center will be a significant factor in bringing agencies and communities together.
