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County non-profit group reaches out to area's homeless families

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Until Family Promise of Beaufort County opened its doors, local homeless families had no choice but to live in their cars or with friends and relatives.

The nonprofit organization, which opened in July, offers families a day center where they can shower, make lunch, search for employment and receive help from a case manager. At night, families are housed at host churches, where they can stay for a week before moving to the next congregation. The program is designed to help families move out of homelessness in 90 days.

To strengthen the program, Family Promise wants to create an emergency fund to help families pay for gas, get car insurance or lease a storage unit for their belongings until they can find a new home. The organization is asking residents to help with donations. Currently, it is serving two families.

A couple and their four girls, all under 15, lived in their home for 11 years before the father lost his job and they no longer could afford the house.

The second family, a 38-year-old single mom and two children under 6, found Family Promise through social services after the mom lost her job and had disagreements with her landlord that she said forced her to leave.

Since being with Family Promise, the parents have found new jobs, and both families are working on regaining financial stability, said program director Emily Bugay.

"They've never been homeless before," Bugay said. "It's hard to climb out when you live paycheck to paycheck. They are asked to put 30 percent of their income in savings to get them used to paying bills, but also so they leave here with a buffer so they don't end up back here."

The single mom, who asked that her name not be published, said she is working as hard as she can to save money so she can stop living out of a suitcase and provide her children with a stable life.

"It's not so bad for me," she said. "I think it's having an effect on (the children). I can't get them to sleep at night. I worry about them. They've had so many changes. ... Physically, it wears me out. Mentally, I want more for my kids."

Bugay works with the families to find low-income housing, though the waiting list is a year long.

While the program is designed to help families, Bugay said the problem of local homelessness is larger than that.

Thirty-six people have called since the center opened, but they don't qualify because they are single and without children, she said.

She hopes a homeless shelter will open in Beaufort County in the future.

"A lot of people have a job here but can't afford to live here," she said. "Some move here and their accommodations fall through. And there's no shelter for them to go to."

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