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Family Promise of WNY to host open house

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Wed, Jan 25th 2017 05:50 pm

New staffing, location to allow community agency to better serve families experiencing homelessness

Family Promise of WNY (FPWNY), a community organization that provides temporary shelter and support to families experiencing homelessness within Western New York, will host an open house event from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29. The event is to welcome the public to the new location of FPWNY's Family Resource Center at 75 Hickory St., Buffalo (on the campus of Ss. Columba-Brigid Roman Catholic Church).

FPWNY is one of 200 affiliates of Family Promise, a nationwide organization founded in 1986 with a mandate to serve families experiencing homelessness. FPWNY accomplishes this with the help of more than 500 volunteers annually through a network of host congregations that house families for one week at a time. Families visit the Family Resource Center each weekday to receive case management services, as they work toward finding stable housing.

"We are excited about the opportunity that this move has given us to better serve the families within our program," said Kathryn Steffan, executive director at Family Promise of WNY. "With a focus on families experiencing homelessness, many for the first time, we try to design every aspect of our program to minimize the trauma for those involved. The move to Ss. Columba-Brigid positions us much closer to downtown Buffalo, and it greatly eases the burden of transportation for our families to reach needed resources. Our goal is to end family homelessness in Western New York, and we look forward to engaging the community on Sunday to involve them in that work."

Previous locations of the Family Resource Center have included a facility adjacent to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Buffalo, and an office building in Cheektowaga. Relocating the center just a mile from downtown Buffalo, closer to many of the resources necessary for families within the program, and along with one of the organization's 12 current host congregations will provide an improved situation for families, staff and volunteers.

In 2015, FPWNY provided 1,948 bed nights and over 5,000 meals to 19 families, including 30 adults and 46 children. To learn more about the organization, visit www.FPWNY.org or follow on Facebook at Family Promise of WNY.

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