NONPROFIT Family Promise of
BY LAUREN CANTERBERRY
2022 REAL ESTATE EDITION
IMPACT A PROMISING
As of June, Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels has served more than 80 families locally for a total of 268 individuals, 160 of which are children.
Greater New Braunfels Nonpro t tackles housing insecurity locally Family Promise was founded in 1986 and is now a national organization that partners with local groups and o cials to address homelessness among families. In 2012, Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels was founded by Doy Cole and Tom Cio . Sarah Dixon, executive director of Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, shared how the organization serves individuals locally and what needs still exist. Answers have been edited for length and style. WHAT SERVICES DOES FAMILY
86
71% of families obtain child care,
transportation, employment and permanent housing within 100 days of entering the program.
families have received services
56
600+
families have graduated from the program.
THIS AVAILABLE IN NEW BRAUNFELS?
individuals volunteer locally each year
PROMISE OFFER TO LOCAL INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING TO FIND OR MAINTAIN HOUSING? We work with families that are facing homelessness in our shelter and post-shelter programs. We don’t have the capacity to work with the general public who are housing-in- secure right now. With additional funding, that is certainly something we would consider expanding into, but at this time nances keep us limited to only those who are or were in our shelter program. For those in our program, we work with families to build a strong foundation for stability. Obtaining a ordable housing is usually the last brick that is put in place. Before that, families need to gather all their o cial documentation, nd child care, obtain full-time employment, learn the basics of household nance and budgeting, and build some savings. At that point they are ready to nd a ordable housing and live on their own. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE RESOURCES LIKE
It is complicated, time-consuming and frustrating to navigate housing options. Programs that o er housing assistance, like the New Braunfels Housing Authority or Tenant-Based Rental Assistance [program], have their own sets of rules and applica- tion processes to qualify for services. It helps to have someone familiar with the process to guide people. HOW HAVE YOU SEEN LOCAL NEEDS CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS? It has been getting harder to nd a ordable housing on the open market in the past few years. Most landlords require that you earn three times the cost of rent to qualify for an apartment. With the recent increases in rent, many single-parent families do not earn enough to qualify for a lease under these terms. HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT FAMILY PROMISE AND THE INDIVIDUALS YOU SERVE? It would be very helpful for local landlords to be exible and
IT HAS BEEN GETTING HARDER TO FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON THE OPEN MARKET IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. ... WITH THE RECENT INCREASES IN RENT, MANY SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES DO NOT EARN ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR A LEASE UNDER THESE TERMS. SARAH DIXON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SOURCE: FAMILY PROMISE OF GREATER NEW BRAUNFELS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
CONTACT INFORMATION: 830-214-6752 familypromise@fpgnb.org www.fpgnb.org
understand a potential renter’s full circumstances when considering who to lease to. We continue to guide and support our families once they’ve left our shelter program, and that continued support has kept all of our families housed for two years after leaving shelter. I believe the individual attention and rela- tionships we have with our families keeps them stable for the long term. It would also help if more land- lords accepted Section 8 or TBRA vouchers. We hear from people who have a voucher, but cannot nd any landlord who will accept it. This makes the voucher useless for someone who lives and works in New Braunfels.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST NEED IN REGARD TO LOCAL HOUSING? We need more a ordable housing units in New Braunfels. There are very few housing options for people who make less than $20 per hour. We are facing a situation where people who work and support our local businesses can’t a ord to live here. This will make it even harder for busi- nesses to hire enough employees.
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2009 S Walnut Avenue Suite 101 New Braunfels, TX 78130 (830) 730-4440|info@KauffmanOrtho.com | www.kauffmanortho.com
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • JULY 2022
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