Family Promise Union County
Family Promise Union County, better known as FPUC, in Elizabeth, NJ, is Family Promise’s flagship program overseen by the national office. Like all our Affiliates, FPUC tackles the crisis of family homelessness through comprehensive services that address homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, and stabilization support.
Family Promise Union County, better known as FPUC, in Elizabeth, NJ, is Family Promise’s flagship program overseen by the national office. Like all our Affiliates, FPUC tackles the crisis of family homelessness through comprehensive services that address homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, and stabilization support.
Despite the economic disruption and a prolonged affordable housing shortage exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, FPUC continued to serve families in crisis. Working with more than 120 landlords, FPUC safely sheltered 12 families in apartments. Even more impressive, all the families who graduated from the shelter program moved into permanent housing.
Hurricane Ida completely devastated FPUC’s offices and day center in 2021, but staff quickly relocated, and volunteers pitched in to help clean up the debris. FPUC continues to look for new office space.
FPUC also focused on homelessness prevention efforts and helped 200 families avoid the trauma of losing their homes. Because of access to support like rent and utility assistance, financial literacy education, and life skills development, 73 children and their families will never know the anguish of experiencing homelessness. FPUC also administered CARES Act funding for 113 households.
As always, volunteers and partners played a critical role in helping FPUC families navigate their return to stability and independence. 1,500 volunteers supported families through item drives, donations, academic tutoring, move-ins, day center support, health and wellness activities, budget counseling, and tax preparation. FPUC also partnered with local organizations and agencies to offer families cooking workshops and a vaccine information clinic, as well as housewares, furniture, automobiles, and more. In addition, FPUC took advantage of Family Promise’s partnership with Grow with Google to help guests and graduates further their careers and earning potential through digital training and skills development.
In August, Hurricane Ida devastated the FPUC day center as well as hundreds of households in Union County. Staff relocated to temporary quarters and continued to work with families, including many who were displaced by the storm. Meanwhile, FPUC volunteers helped clean up and sort through debris. The damage was extensive, and FPUC continues to search for a new space.
Learn more about our Hurricane Ida recovery:
12
families (including 25 children) served through shelter, meals, and comprehensive support services
200
families (including 73 children) served through diversion and prevention
100
families served
through post-program
graduate support
7,114
overnight stays
100%
of sheltered families who exited FPUC moved into permanent housing
19,662
meals
126
landlord partnerships
1,500
volunteers
25
families served through rental assistance
Plus, more than 2,000 individuals served through information and referrals.
FPUC Partners
Atlantic Health
Avocado Green Mattress
Bridgeway Rehabilitation Services
Catholic Charities
Center for Women Career Closet
Central Presbyterian Lena Willis Mission Endowment Fund
City of Elizabeth
Community Access Unlimited
Community Health Law Project
Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless
Furniture Assist
HomeFirst
IKEA
Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss
Jewish Family Services
Joyal Capital Management
Junior League of Summit
Keller Williams Realty
Knights of Columbus
Legal Services
Marty’s Reliable Cycle
Menstrual Products for NJ
Moms for Moms
Overlook Family Medicine
Overlook Hospital
Prevention Links
PROCEED
Project Hygiene
Salvation Army
Seelaus
SOMA Sewing Volunteers
St. Joseph’s
Summit High School Family Promise Club
Summit Police Department
Summit YMCA
Support the Girls
Union County Human Services
Union County Social Services
United Way
Urban League of Union County
Walmart
YMCA
YWCA
FPUC Volunteer Stories
Leading the Fight Against Family Homelessness
Sierra and her mom lived out of their car before finding Family Promise of Orange County in Anaheim, CA. The family was featured in a photo essay by The Guardian. Click the image to learn more about their story. Photo credit: The Guardian
Family Promise graduate Romona was featured in an NPR story on single mothers overcoming homelessness. She’s now pursuing a degree while working at a job she loves and recently became a homeowner. Click the image for her full story. Photo credit: The New York Times
As she told The New York Times, Family Promise volunteer Patricia (pictured far left with Family Promise staff) hasn’t let COVID curtail her community spirit. Click the image to learn more about the power of volunteerism.
Charity Charge podcast
Charity Charge, an enterprise dedicated to helping nonprofits remain fiscally sound, interviewed Family Promise CEO Claas Ehlers about homelessness prevention, volunteerism, and leadership. Click the image to listen to the full podcast.
advisory roles and memberships
-
- Association of Fundraising Professionals
- AFP-NJ Marketing Committee
- Charity Navigator’s Consultative Council of Nonprofit Leaders
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York Community Advisory Group
- Overlook Medical Center’s Community Advisory Board
- Sesame Street in Communities Advisory Board
National Partnerships
Dozens of corporate and nonprofit partners support Family Promise’s work to address the issue of family homelessness. Dedicated partners collaborate and provide valuable insight and resources that enable us to enhance and expand programs and services to best meet the needs of families in crisis.
Corporate PARTNERS
Nonprofit Partners
Volunteers
Shelter alone can’t solve the crisis of family homelessness. That’s why Family Promise offers a comprehensive range of services that address the root causes of housing instability. From homelessness prevention programs to emergency shelter to post-program stabilization, we’re there for families every step of the way on their journey to lasting independence. But we couldn’t do it without the support of our volunteers. Tens of thousands of volunteers across the country dedicate their time and talent to help families regain stability and security. Here are some of their stories.
Contact Us
Charity Navigator
For the ninth consecutive year, Family Promise has been rated a Four Star Charity by Charity Navigator, a distinction given to only four percent of rated nonprofits. Family Promise was one of only 71 nonprofits in the U.S. to earn a perfect score of 100 out of 100 points.