'An indicator of the critical need': Family Promise of the Lakes Region serves 12 families in 1st week

LACONIA — Family Promise of the Lakes Region, part of a network of independent nonprofit affiliates across the country, launched its programming on Sept. 14, aiming to prevent and end homelessness for families with children, and assist them in gaining independence.

The organization originally started in New Jersey, in 1986, when founder Karen Olson realized homelessness was affecting people right in her community. Since then, Family Promise has spread across the U.S.

Nicole Shedd, executive director of Family Promise of the Lakes Region, said within their first eight days of opening, they had 12 families seek assistance. Their goal is to serve 100 families, and 200 children, in their first year.

“That's an indicator of the critical need in the county for families with children,” Shedd said.

The organization's goal came from state data points, including a point-in-time count which is a one-night census of unhoused people in the Lakes Region. The census reported 281 people without shelter.

“Obviously, we know that there are a lot of people that aren't captured in that, because it doesn't account for folks that are doubled up with friends or relatives, or staying in a motel, staying in their cars,” Shedd said. “So, we know that number is actually much larger than what's identified in the point-in-time count.”

Shedd said after the PIT count, they talked to staff at local schools, gaining insightful feedback, and collected further data from Belknap County.

The organization's new program director, Hannah Marquis, said in addition to referrals, families can also visit the organization’s website at familypromiselrnh.org to fill out an intake form.

Due to the difficulty of finding housing in the Lakes Region, the organization’s eviction prevention, shelter diversion, and trauma-informed stabilization services aim to keep families with children safely in their homes before they are unhoused.

Marquis said the form asks questions such as how many adults and children are in the family, and their current situation. Within 24 hours, she will follow up with the family to get a sense of what they need help with in particular, such as paying rent.

“Once we get the bill from either their landlord, things like that, we can work with the community to try to get that full amount, so we can pay it in full, so they can stay where they are,” Marquis said.

Marquis works with families using the trauma-informed care approach to help them avoid losing stable housing. After getting through the emergency or situation the family is facing, Marquis helps them build a financial plan, setting long-term economic and personal goals, and connects them with resources.

If a family has already lost their housing, Marquis will work with them to find an immediate, safe solution. This is part of the organization’s diversion service, attempting to keep families out of shelters.

Staff also connect families with partner landlords, to find available renting options.

Shedd said the rental housing vacancy rate in the Lakes Region sits around 0%, making it incredibly difficult for families to find an affordable place after losing a home.

“The Belknap House in Laconia, they’re at capacity all the time, and there's more need than they have capacity for. So, we’re trying to do whatever we can in our area to help create resource opportunities for families,” Shedd said.

Family Promise of the Lakes Region does not have a shelter. If all avenues have been exhausted, the organization will assist families with transportation to Family Promise of Greater Concord, where the affiliation has a shelter onsite.

“We really lean into this as a community-based response for families, really wrapping them in a web of targeted support by braiding resources together with other other organizations, and then helping them achieve sustainable independence, after we've helped disrupt the emergency that's that they're currently experiencing,” Shedd said.

For her first four months as executive director, Shedd said she was almost solely focused on building relationships in Belknap County. The nonprofit also has a national partnership with Help Us Move In.

Family Promise of the Lakes Region has a two-year grant to partner with Help Us Move In, for $10,000 each year. The partnership, along with local supports, works within the organization’s community leverage model, where for every dollar invested in the organization, $3 is donated back through goods and services. This can be quantified in a number of ways, such as volunteer hours, or donated clothing.

“We just make sure that any money that we get, we're tripling the amount that the family actually sees when we're able to help them, in whatever capacity that we can help them,” Shedd said. “That could be giving them backpacks for their children that are full of school supplies.”

Family Promise of the Lakes Region runs on community fuel. Volunteers help families with job searching, resume writing, and workforce development.

After families have secured permanent housing, Family Promise of the Lakes Region continues to support families to ensure they maintain their stability and long-term independence. After the initial emergency is resolved, case management continues for six months to a year, or as long as a family needs.

“We are not stepping into the Lakes Region to try to duplicate services,” Shedd said. “We're coming in to create opportunities for service that is in addition to other services, that lets us really braid services together. Those partnerships with others in our community are incredibly important to be able to have an impact.”