LAS VEGAS -A LOCAL MISSION FIELD!!!
Wednesday, August 20th @ 2:13 PM
Most churches have either an outreach program or missions program. We hear about missionaries that go into Third World nations and countries to minister to the unchurched. Here is an opportunity for churches to be missionaries right here in the own back yard. The Community Interfaith Council in partnership with the City of Las Vegas, Clark County and others have created One Congregation, One Family Mentoring Program. The program is modeled after a best practice program operated by the Denver Rescue Mission entitled the Family and Senior Homeless Initiative (FSHI). FSHI represents the expansion of the Family Rescue Ministry which was founded in 1988 as “Punts with a Purpose” by former Denver Bronco punter Mike Horan. Family Rescue Ministry (FRM) became a program of the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM) in 1998.
The FSHI programs helps over 140 families/seniors into permanent housing each year. Approximately 83% of the families remain in housing after a year. Since the Mayor’s initiative, FSHI has assisted over 200 families & seniors into housing.
Program summary:
One Congregation-One Family is a pilot program that will match faith houses (and mentor teams comprised from two to six members) with a family that is entering transitional housing with limited services or graduating from a transitional housing program or needing immediate housing assistance (recently, became homeless due to temporary financial strain). Client families will be referred from local area non-profit providers to the One Congregation-One Family program. During the pilot phase, the goal is to recruit 12 to 20 faith houses and their mentor teams to nurture client families.
The each faith based mentoring team will receive extensive training on the process of mentoring families who are exiting homelessness and issues that arise during transition into permanent housing. Participating faith houses and families will be matched using compatibility criteria. Faith based teams will mentor and assist client families with any barriers or difficulties that arise during six month mentoring relationship. Case management of these families will continue to be handled by the same non-profit providers from which these families have been referred. The faith houses and their mentoring teams become an extensive wrap-around support system for the family; supporting the family transitioning out of homelessness and preventing the family from re-entering homelessness. Congregations may pledge up to $1,500 per matched family however congregations are not required to commit financially to the program in order to participate.
Identified client families will confirm their willingness to participate in the program and will be trained extensively on the boundaries of the mentoring relationship. The program will assist in developing a mentoring agreement for client families and faith based mentor teams. Agreements will consist of a minimum of weekly phone contacts and face-to-face visits at least once per month.
The program will be offered in an initial six-month term with a possibility of an additional six-month extension to be determined on the needs for services and the willingness of all participants. Program evaluation will be conducted at three- and six-month intervals.
The goal of the program is to support and maintain housing permanency for families exiting homelessness. Client families will receive an ongoing support system made of the faith community and non-profit service providers. The program’s long term impact will be that client families will continue to thrive from relationships formed and resiliency skills learned after the mentoring program has ended. For more information or to participate please contact Phyllis Hargrove with HUD at 366-2137 or Jaime Weller LaFavor with Community InterFaith Council at 610-4377
