Copyright © 2024 Fifth Reformed Church.
Letter to the Congregation
Dear Fifth Friends,
How would you like to say “sorry, we cannot help you, there is no room” to a homeless family who comes to your door? Saying it once would be hard enough. But what if you had to say it 25 times in a month, almost once a day?
That’s what Family Promise, a local non-profit dedicated to ending homelessness, is forced to say because they lack the capacity to house all of the homeless families that ask for help.
With your help, Family Promise intends to change this painful situation.
It’s a matter of survival.
You have, perhaps, participated in Fifth church’s initiative to provide shelter and food to families through Family Promise’s Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). The network of 16 host churches in Grand Rapids has been a successful emergency shelter model but it does not solve the growing family needs in our community. Family Promise wants to scale up, build capacity, and leverage its current successes in order to address the growing needs.
Family Promise has kicked off a campaign called Room to Grow to raise $6 million over the next two years. Family Promise has asked us, as a host church, to contribute $50,000 to this campaign. We believe we can! Would you please join us with a gift to end homelessness?
Your gift to this fund will be used by Family Promise to:
- Prevent homelessness before it happens (increase financial help and case manager resources).
- Expand emergency shelter capacity from 45 units (today) to 90 units.
- Create affordable housing for homeless families once their situation stabilizes.
- Expand their facility (“Day Center”) and improve communications to the community.
We invite you to join other Fifth family members in supporting Room to Grow with a gift, or, by making a giving commitment. The campaign will run for the next 18 months. If you are making a giving commitment, we hope that you will do so by the end of June 2023.
Today, you can make a difference in our community with a gift that opens doors to families in crisis and be a part of the Family Promise answer, “come in, we have room for you.”
In Christ,
Fifth Church Room to Grow Team
Greg Broene, Andi Allen, Tyler Ingersoll, Lori Kane, Kristin Meyer, and Sally Vander Ploeg
Why should you give?
First, giving here is consistent with one of Fifth’s core missions to end homelessness.
Second, we know Family Promise well. We already partner with them as a host church in their Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). As a host church we house 5 families in our church for a week, three to four times per year.
Third, they are effective. Family Promise is 90% successful in placing and keeping families in homes! (“Success” defined as…90% of the families who come to Family Promise are still living in their home 2 years later).
Fourth, they are local. Their work directly impacts Grand Rapids.
How to Give
You may make a giving commitment by completing
- an online Commitment form located HERE
- the paper commitment card enclosed in the Room to Grow campaign letter to the congregation and also available in the church’s Information Corridor.
You can give by:
- Credit card. Go online HERE. Select Family Promise – Room to Grow from the Fund drop list.
- Make a check out to Fifth Reformed church and write Room to Grow on the memo line.
- Electronic Funds Transfer – contact church Office Manager at 616-245-9247
- Other – contact Sally Vander Ploeg at svploeg2@gmail.com or 616-821-5377 regarding: Stocks and Securities, IRA charitable distributions, Real estate
Frequently Asked Questions
About Family Promise / Interfaith Hospitality Network / Fifth Church
Who is Family Promise?
Family Promise is an organization that provides emergency shelter to families with kids who are in a housing crisis. Family Promise works with community partners and church congregations to keep these families safe and to help them find a new home.
Family Promise is a national organization with over 200 affiliates. Family Promise – West Michigan is one of the largest affiliates. They have 48 employees.
Is Family Promise effective at fighting homelessness?
Yes. Over 90% of the families who go through their program are still in homes 2 years later.
What is the relationship between Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) and Family Promise?
Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) is one of several Family Promise emergency shelter models for homeless families in crisis. Other Family Promise emergency shelter models include hotel rooms, Mel Trotter rooms, Family Promise – owned apartments.
What is Fifth’s involvement in IHN through Family Promise?
Fifth is one of 16 Host churches in the Grand Rapids area who shelter 5 families for one week, for 3 to 4 times per year. During each of those weeks, families eat and sleep on Fifth’s second floor.
Eastminster Presbyterian and Shawnee Park CRC are “Support” churches. They provide volunteers to help us during our hosting week.
How long has Fifth been a Host church for Family Promise?
Fifth has been a “Host” church for 24 years (started in 1999).
As a host church, what do you have to do to host 5 families for a week?
Hosting families for a week require 52 roles/tasks to be performed. On average 30 Fifth volunteers perform these roles/tasks.
About Fifth’s Current Support of Family Promise
What is the estimated value of Fifth’s Family Promise hosting activity in 2022?
For 2022, the value of our volunteer activity and direct contributions to Family Promise is $66,072.
Calculated as follows:
- Nights of Shelter Provided: 28 nights
- Host Weeks: 4 host weeks
- Number of volunteer hours: 1200
- Value of Volunteer Hours: $35,940
- Individual Meals Served: 840
- Value of Meals Served: $7,577
- Bed nights provided: 392 (Bed nights provided is 14 beds per night, times 7 nights a host week, times 4 host weeks per year)
- Value of Bed Nights: $11,480
- Financial Donations: $11,075
*Source: Family Promise. “Fifth Reformed Church Impact Report.”
What the estimated value of Fifth’s hosting activity since inception (1999)?
For 24 years as host church the value of Fifth’s impact is $1,265,227.
Calculated as follows:
- 595 Nights of Emergency Shelter Provided – Value of Bed Nights = $243,950
- 25,500 Volunteer Hours Provided – Value of Volunteer Hours = $763,725
- 17,850 Meals Served – Value of Meals Provided = $161,007
- 2,700 Children Served through IHN over24 years
- $96,545 Direct Financial Support since 2008
*Source: Family Promise. “Fifth Reformed Church Impact Report.”
About Room to Grow
What is “Room to Grow”?
“Room to Grow” is a $6 million capital campaign launched by Family Promise – West Michigan to increase its capacity to help even more homeless families find a new home.
They will use the money to expand their services as follows:
- Prevent homelessness before it happens. They will increase financial help and case manager resources to serve 1200 households. Anticipated spending = $1,500,000.
- Expand emergency shelter capacity from today’s 45 units to 90 units. Emergency shelter comes in several forms: IHN, Hotels, Mel Trotter rooms, etc. Most of the funds will buy / renovate / expand the Alger Shelter (apartment building) and the Wyoming Park Shelter (previously a United Methodist Church). Anticipated spending = $3,000,000
- Create affordable housing that homeless families can live in once their situation stabilizes. They will purchase 2 mobile home parks and add new, or renovate existing, mobile homes for this purpose. Anticipated spending = $1,000,000
- Expand their facility (“Day Center”), improve marketing / communications, and develop a long-term strategy. Anticipated spending = $500,000
The Room to Grow campaign is running for 3 years (2022 – 2024).
How much is Family Promise asking us to give?
They have asked Fifth Church to consider a $50,000 donation to help them reach their goal. To respond to that challenge, Fifth is kicking off a fund-raising effort of its own.
How long will Fifth’s Room to Grow campaign run?
The Fifth campaign will run for 18 months from mid-2023 to December 2024. One-time or multi-year gifts and commitments are welcome.
Why start another fund raiser when we have not finished collecting for RENEW2?
RENEW2 is winding down. We are expecting the last pledges for that project to collected by the end of calendar 2023. Because we are blessed, because it is one of our core missions, because homelessness is on the rise in Grand Rapids, and because we are called to be a force for good in this world, it makes sense to re-focus our efforts in this way and at this time.
Is Family Promise a good organization to partner with to fight homelessness? Aren’t there other organizations out there to work with?
There are other organizations we could partner with. But 5 or 6 years ago we decided to focus our support on one or two and make a significant impact upon their success rather than spread our resources around to many organizations and make less of an impact.
At that time, we selected Family Promise because of our prior (over 24 years) positive experience with Interfaith Hospitality Network hosting model.
Our decision has proven to be a good one. Family Promise – West Michigan is recognized nationally as a leader in fighting homelessness.
Over 90% of the families who go through the program are still in homes two years later.
The local Family Promise CEO, Sheryl Schuch, has recently been named CEO for Family Promise National. They are exceptional partners, and we are glad to be aligned with them.
Another reason for “leaning into” Family Promise is that they are local. Every dollar we contribute stays right in Kent County to make a positive local impact.
Can I reduce my regular giving so that I can participate in the “Room to Grow” campaign?
We ask that you not reduce your regular giving to support “Room to Grow.” Giving to this campaign should be over and above your current regular giving.
What if I still need to finish my RENEW2 financial commitment?
If you still have a RENEW2 commitment to fulfill, please take care of that first. This fund drive is for those who have paid their RENEW2 obligations and feel called to give more to help the homeless.
What other churches are giving to the “Room to Grow” Campaign?
As of early 2023, Fifth, Cornerstone Church, and Wyoming Park United Methodist Church are the churches participating in the campaign.