Family Promise of Berks County has been working on a few videos that highlight our work in the community and serve as a tool to create a deeper understanding of our programs and services,  greater awareness, increased impact and inspired participation.

We are pleased to share with you that the video series of stories that explore how we’re combating family & youth homelessness is now complete and available to view on YouTube and Facebook. Links are included below.

Working for Change

Building Community, Strengthening Lives

Maria’s Story – Hospitality Network

Stanley’s Story – U Turn Program

We now have our own custom app that allows you to use deals at over 100 locally owned businesses throughout Berks County – while also keeping you up to date on our events, volunteer needs, and of course donation opportunities throughout the year.  Simply use the link below to purchase a membership with $15 of the $25 the annual fee going to support the many Family Promise Berks programs. So please join and spread the word. www.doitLOCALfundraising.com with Fundraising Key:  ACD37512!

#FamilyPromiseBerks Executive Director, Elise Chesson had the pleasure of joining Jo Mercer On The Air of Y102 for her Roundtable Community Services morning edition! We had a great time and enjoyed sharing what we do to serve families & youth experiencing homelessness with their audience. Click here to listen!

Our reach is growing with the support of our partners in the community! Congregations, volunteers, foundations, businesses and individuals like you make our work possible. Your generosity has impacted countless families.

Family and youth homelessness continue to be a growing concern for our Berks County community. With the new year in full swing, most of the local shelters and transitional housing programs remain at full capacity on an ongoing basis. Limited resources persist for those experiencing housing insecurity.

With your help in 2017, we served hundreds of families, children and youth through our Hospitality Network, U-Turn and Rent & Utility Assistance Programs.

• 143 of those individuals enrolled in our programs
• 11,000+ meals were served
• 3,722+ bed nights were provided
• 14,248+ hours of volunteer service were facilitated
• 85% of the families in the Hospitality Network successfully transitioned into permanent housing
• 88% of the homeless youth served through U-Turn resolved housing insecurity
• 100% of the individuals served with Rent & Utility Assistance entered positive permanent housing destinations

Book Buddies We are thrilled to participate in a new and exciting initiative called Book Buddies! This is an educational opportunity for preschool and elementary students ages 3 to 10. The goal of Book Buddies is to offer enhanced literacy opportunities for children experiencing homelessness. Children in our programs will participate in story time and a guided follow-up activity. Each student is provided with their own book and a snack during story time. Lastly, each child will get to pick a “book buddy” to sit with during story time. This is made possible by the collaborative efforts of Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH), Berks County Intermediate Unitand United Way of Berks County. Welcome New Coordinators We would like to offer a warm welcome to several new coordinators serving families in our Hospitality Network! Mary Jo Gordon of St-Benedict’s Church will be co-coordinating their congregations efforts with Diane Arnold who has been a loyal partner of Family Promise Berks for many years. Thanks for all you do to make a difference in the community! Paula McCutcheon will be the new coordinator for our partners at Wyomissing Church of the Brethren. Thanks for continuing the legacy and good works of Carl & Linda Voelker who’s years of service have been invaluable to the organization! Spreading the Good Word Thanks to Pastor Zack Jackson of Community UCC – St- Lawrence, Pastor Daniel Lute of St-Thomas Church – Bernville and Pastor Rachel Dietz – St-John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mohnton for welcoming our Community Resource Manager Lee Wilder into your congregations! We appreciate opportunities to share how your partnerships have made a difference in the lives of families & youth experiencing homelessness! $5,000 Freedom Auto Group Giving Thanks Winners! Every year, Freedom Auto Group asks the community to vote for their favorite charity during their Freedom Giving Thanks Campaign. The community votes and local nonprofits get a chance at $5,000. Thanks to your votes & the Freedom team, Family Promise Berks won! We are honored to have been blessed with this opportunity. Thanks for giving back to the community! Congratulations to all of our partners in the community John Paul II Center for Special Learning Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Reading Civic Theatre, it’s great to be part of Freedom’s winning circle! Our Executive Director, Elise Chesson was dared by Eric Savage and our Board President Peter Diebolt to demonstrate how she celebrated the news! Heel click and a jump! Hurray! Thank you A big thanks to Kathi Raphael, Director of Ministries and the congregation of Advent Lutheran Church for donating over $315 dollars in gift cards for our graduating families! Your generosity will help our families settle in to their new homes! Renewed Commitment Family Promise Berks wishes to thank all of our board members for their renewed commitment to our mission this year. Please help us congratulate Peter Diebolt who will now lead the board as President. We look forward to what 2018 has in store for us all! Thank you all for sharing of your time, love and compassion with the children and families we serve!