Our Success

Every morning, guest families utilize our Family Center located at 429 E. Story.  The Family Center provides guest families with access to laundry and shower facilities, phone and Internet access. It’s also where they work with a case manager to develop an individualized plan to regain housing and self-sufficiency.

From there, the families are provided with transportation if they do not have their own to work, school or the Tim and Mary Barnard Family Day Center by our Family Promise van.

Each evening, guest families are transported to hosting congregations where volunteers welcome them as guests into their church or synagogue, providing them with meals, hospitality and overnight accommodations for one week on a rotating basis. There are currently 11 hosting congregations in Bozeman’s network.

Host Congregation Volunteers

Volunteers from host congregations provide hospitality to Family Promise guest families through their faith house. We welcome volunteers of all ages! These volunteers help us provide meals, overnight hospitality, and friendly support to our families. Other volunteer jobs include:

  • Cooking and/or hosting dinner
  • Spending the evening with guest families chatting, tutoring kids or playing games
  • Sleeping overnight in the congregation
  • Coordinating children’s crafts and activities
  • Donating needed supplies for the host week
  • Setting up and breaking down guest families’ rooms

Partner Congregations Volunteers

Volunteers from support congregations provide volunteers of nearby host congregations with added help and team support. Partner congregations are paired with host congregations to support our families for a week using the same location.

Our Success

We opened our doors on March 10th 2006. Since then we feel that we have created a great change in our community! Here are some of our accomplishments since we opened:

  • Provided shelter and opportunities to 274 people. This includes 81 separate families, 147 children and 127 adults. We have hosted 46 babies 0-2 years, 26 preschoolers 3-5 years, 60 children ages 6-12 and 15 teens.
  • 11 Host Congregations and 10 Partner Congregations are active participants.  All congregations have at least 1 skilled volunteer coordinator and have actively recruited and organized volunteers to help provide 24 hour services.
  • 1,404 volunteers have completed the 2 hour Family Promise training necessary before providing direct guest services.
  • These volunteers have contributed over 60,000 direct service volunteer hours of service since March 10,2006! Additionally, over 1800 days of warm shelter and home-cooked meals have been provided to our guests. There have been no vacant days for well over two years.
  • A new Family Day Center at 429 East Story Street has been purchased and is fully paid for thanks to a generous contribution by Tim and Mary Barnard! It is full of warm, comfortable furnishings, and is a safe haven for families during the day and on the weekends.
  • A full-time Executive Director and Family Case Manager who are professional social workers have actively assisted families in regaining independence and provided valuable case management activities. Over 80% of the families completing the program have successfully attained stable housing.
  • A full-time Volunteer Director was hired January 2010 to provide volunteer recruitment, training, retention and support.
  • Social service agencies are actively working together to coordinate service delivery and address and end homelessness. FPGV has taken a leadership role in development of our local continuum of care, the Greater Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition.
  • The population at large has an increasing awareness of homelessness in the Gallatin Valley. Over 40% of Family Promise’s funding is from local individual contributors.