By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

In these final moments of a holiday whose backstory stars a family seeking shelter, a West Seattle-based organization continues to work toward its dream of once again helping families find shelter.

Family Promise of Seattle has not yet reached its $90,000 goal – but that’s all they need to resume helping homeless families stay together, safe, and warm.

It’s been four months since Family Promise of Seattle put its sheltering operation on hold, as first reported here. The organization’s leaders decided they would reopen as soon as they raised $90,000 to fund adequate staff and resources for the intensive job of offering newly homeless families not just shelter, but also assistance in finding employment.

We sat in on Family Promise’s most recent fundraising committee and board meetings, back to back on a rainy night earlier this month. They had progress to celebrate, but a ways to go to the goal – and in less than a month, the board says it will decide whether to soldier on, or call it quits.

We listened to the updates, sitting by the table in the Holy Rosary basement meeting room where both meetings took place.

We heard about the anguish the group’s leaders feel when the phone rings, as it continues to do, with news of a family looking for someplace to find shelter, a family to whom they have to say no. Even though they have willing congregations, who have been vital partners in Family Promise – its structure involves building a network of congregations that will agree to take turns hosting families, providing meals and a place for the family to sleep at night, with FP’s small facility serving as a daytime base. 18 congregations around the area – not just West Seattle – are partnered with FP so far.

Those congregations, too, have been asked to contribute money toward ongoing operations – $3,500 each. Some asked tough questions: What if Family Promise decides to fold instead of to go forward – what happens to their contributions? The answer: They’d go to “another nonprofit in King County with a similar mission.” In light of that, came the followup, what if they pledged instead of outright donated, till the next steps are known?

Family Promise has been cobbling together donations from every source they can find. An event here, an event there, and it all adds up – with some contributing in a big way, such as a recent “Comfort Food Throwdown” that brought in $3,500. There was a $500 take from a candle party, too. And myriad grant applications are pending.

Getting those grants, even with what sounds like a sure-bet cause – sheltering homeless families with children – is no slam-dunk. A sheet of paper circulated at the meetings listed organizations and companies that had been approached for donations and grants. What was on the paper reveals that some said no; you can’t help but wonder how a multibillion-dollar company, for example, can turn down a request for a few thousand dollars.

That, however, is another story. For the purposes of this one – you should know, some grant providers said yes. And by the night of that meeting, Family Promise had at least $35,000 raised or pledged, and numerous ideas percolating – maybe an ongoing online auction of donated items? Perhaps boxes set up at schools and/or businesses to collect change?

Outside the meeting, pouring rain. Inside the meeting, ideas and hope, drop by drop.

They are looking to a board meeting in mid-January, and then a meeting a few days later to tell coordinators at member churches whether they’re going on.

Executive director Norman Schwamberg has hope. He has continued to work 10 hours a week, officially – more, we suspect, unofficially – since the “shutdown” in August. “We still have some sizable major grant (applications) out there, still have more end-of-the-year money coming in,” he reports. “I don’t want to be getting ahead of ourselves, but after the first of the year, it would not be unreasonable to think we will have close to $50,000 (in cash and pledges).”

That brings some smiles. It would put Family Promise more than halfway to the $90,000 goal, which would cover six months of expenses. And yet, some potential donors wonder, says board member Boots Winterstein, so what happens after those first six months, will it be a rerun of “we have to close, we’re out of money?”

“That’s why we’re going to be fully staffed,” interjects board member Laura Bermes – so there’s always someone looking and planning ahead, not just getting by day-to-day.

“Our goal as the fundraising committee is to have two signature events a year, and to meet our budget with those signature events,” notes Lynne Downs.

“What I would say to people is, we’re making a game change here – instead of running on a shoestring … It’s tough sitting here, knowing people are homeless. I feel pretty sick, knowing our doors are closed. But we’re changing our game.”

That “sick” feeling comes often, since Family Promise is getting five to ten calls a week from and about families looking for housing.

But while the word seems to be out about their mission, Family Promise leaders suspect potential supporters haven’t heard enough about it. “Things will change as we become better-known in the community,” Laura muses. “PR is important, to get name recognition,” adds Lynne.

An end-of-year letter was in the works, as was a phone-a-thon, and outreach to faith communities beyond West Seattle, since FP’s service area extends beyond the peninsula. In the long term, they hope to have two church networks to take turns housing families – if each network had 13 churches, that would mean each one would handle a week each quarter, certainly manageable.

They are reaching out to potential volunteers too. Cierra Moore offers that it’s a “really exciting time” as she contacts new graduates “who want to be part of something and make a difference.”

“They have the energy, too,” observes Alice Rose Cuchinotto.

“Some of us old people have energy!” protests Laura, jovially.

Energy is no small matter. These volunteers are working hard. It’s been a long meeting – more than 2 1/2 hours in a windowless room, and some are yawning. Nonetheless, the goal is not out of reach. “I’m heartened to hear about the progress,” proclaims Laura.

Will they make enough progress to get to the magic number and reopen the virtual doors to homeless families, who currently have no residential shelter between downtown and Kent? Decision Day is less than four weeks away.

And the fundraisers continue – including the one you can join in with one click, online.