Need Help?
Get Involved
Donate
a
M
For every $1 you donate

OVER 1 MILLION SERVED SINCE 1988

As the leading organization addressing family homelessness, Family Promise impacts the lives of tens of thousands of people nationwide each year. That impact is illustrated in countless inspirational stories of success, but it is also reflected in our annual statistics: 187,000 family members served, 78% of the families in our shelter program exit to stable housing, and we return $3 in goods and services for every $1 raised.

mom and son holding hands

187,000 SERVED / 78% SECURE HOUSING (FAMILY PROMISE CENSUS)

In 2021, Family Promise Affiliates served more than 187,000 men, women, and children. 78% of the families in our shelter program exit to stable housing.

But the majority of the family members we serve are not experiencing homelessness. Many are at risk of losing their housing and Family Promise prevention services like landlord mediation and rental assistance help them remain in their homes and avoid the trauma of homelessness. Others have graduated from the shelter program but are still facing the challenges of gaining true financial independence as they work to put their lives back together. Family Promise stabilization programs are there to offer support: food donations, transportation, financial capability, workforce development, health and wellness, and many more.

Our comprehensive approach helps at-risk families avoid homelessness in the first place and helps those we have served to create opportunities today that will allow them to realize their potential tomorrow.

HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY FACT

  • The three most cited reasons for family homelessness are: 
    • Lack of affordable housing
    • Unemployment
    • Poverty
  • 1 in 30 youth ages 13 to 17 will experience homelessness each year. (via: National Conference of State Legislations)
  • 1 in 19 children experiences homelessness before the first grade. (via: US Dept. Of Education) 
  • In 2018-2019, nearly 1.3 million, or 6 percent, of children under age six were experiencing homelessness. (via: US Dept. Of Education)
  • In 2022, 161,070 people in families with children were experiencing homelessness. (via: 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report) 
  • During the 2020/2021 school year, 1,096,669 children experiencing homelessness were enrolled in public school. (via: National Center for Homeless Education) 
  • People in families with children make up 28 percent of the nation’s homeless population (via: 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report) 
  • Homeless families are often hidden from our view—they are living in shelters, cars, campgrounds, or doubled up in overcrowded apartments. 
  • 37.9 million people in the U.S. live below the poverty line. (via: U.S. Census Bureau 2021 Poverty in the United States report) 
  • The SPM child poverty rate fell to 5.2 percent in 2021 – the lowest SPM child poverty rate on record. (via: U.S. Census Bureau) 
  • The official poverty line for a family of four with two children is $30,000 per year. (via: U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services) 
  • The federal minimum wage is $7.25/hour. It has not been raised since 2009. (via: U.S. Dept of Labor) 
  • A renter household must earn at least $25.82/hour to afford a two-bedroom home at the Fair Market Rent. (via: 2022 NLHIC Out of Reach Report)  
  • On average, a renter household needs 2.4 full-time jobs paying the minimum wage in order to afford a two-bedroom rental home at FMR. (via: 2022 NLIHC Out of Reach Report) 
  • In only 274 counties out of more than 3,000 nationwide can a worker making the federal minimum wage afford a one-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent. (via: 2022 NLIHC Out of Reach Report) 
  • In no state can a person working full-time at the prevailing federal, state, or county minimum wage afford a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent. (via: 2022 NLIHC Out of Reach Report) 
  • Only 25 percent of those considered eligible for federal housing assistance receive help, due to lack of funding. (via: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) 
  • For every 100 extremely low-income households, there are only 33 affordable and available rental homes on the market. (via: 2023 NLIHC The Gap Report) 
  • The U.S. has a shortage of 7.3 million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income renters. (via: 2023 NLIHC The Gap Report) 
  • Seventy-two percent (8.1 million) of the nation’s 11.0 million extremely low-income renter households are severely housing cost-burdened. (via: 2023 NLIHC The Gap Report) 
  • 10.2 percent (13.5 million) households were food-insecure in 2021. (via: U.S. Dept of Agriculture) 
  • Household food insecurity affected 12.5 percent of households with children in 2021. (via: U.S. Dept of Agriculture)