Family Promise of San Gabriel Valley offers a much needed solution to the increasing number of children experiencing homelessness. Currently, California comprises 12% of the nation’s population of homeless families. From 2016 to 2017, the state experienced one of the largest increases of homeless families in the nation. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), a total of 8,267 homeless families were counted in the 2018 homeless count. Records tell us that Los Angeles has a count of over 17,000 homeless students, which is clearly unacceptable and bodes poorly for the future generations of local citizens. Family homelessness has been exacerbated by the growing lack of affordable housing. Los Angeles needs over 565,000 new affordable housing units for low income renters. Since 2000, the median rent increased by 32%, while the median household income has decreased by 3%. San Gabriel Valley has a cost of living index of 154, which is 54% higher than the U.S. average. Renters need to earn 4 times local minimum wage to afford the median asking rent of $2499 in Los Angeles County.
How Can You Help?
Donate individually, create a peer to peer fundraiser, or give through your employer giving program!
Support our Homeless Prevention Initiative
A community-based response: three simple words that define the success of Family Promise of San Gabriel Valley. We believe the solution to homelessness can be found in community by engaging compassionate volunteers and foundations, civic-minded businesses, and social services agencies focused on families experiencing homelessness and low-income families.
Family Promise SGV received a most welcome gift from the Help Us Move In (HUMI) foundation through seed funding to support a new program aimed at sustainable prevention and rehousing. HUMI is a Washington State-based nonprofit working with communities to fund and create programs helping families facing housing crises.
The HUMI grant is designed to generate a self-sustaining habit of community contributions. Family Promise SGV is required to raise matching funds from local sources to provide rental assistance and eviction prevention funds to families in eminent risk of becoming homeless.Family Promise’s goal is to ensure that children are no longer homeless. Keeping families in housing is not only better for them, it’s better for the community. The economic cost of homelessness is staggering, with multiple implications. For example, a child who experiences homelessness is less likely to graduate from high school and the average net cost to society of a child failing to matriculate is more than $120,000 in social services alone.
Support our Crisis Housing Initiative
In the San Gabriel Valley, families experiencing homelessness are challenged with finding shelters that will allow families to remain together and intact. Currently there are approximately 75 bed spaces available for families within the region, which does not meet the need for family bed spaces. FPSGV alone receives an average of 50 calls per month, suggesting the need is far greater than the spaces allocated.
As the high level of homelessness persists, motels are being used more than ever before. On average, we have the need to house 2 to 3 families at local motels per month as a short term intervention while connecting families to longer term solutions.
Give to keep a family safe for 1 day, 2 days, or a week! $100 pays for one night of motel stay for 1 family!
Join our community matching effort! Help us reach our yearly goal.
