The mission of Family Promise of Casper, which is an affiliate of the 20-year-old national Family Promise organization, is to help children and families achieve sustainable independence.

A strong component of the program is a "hospitality network" made up of faith-based and civic organizations that reach out to meet the physical needs of displaced families, providing them with a safe place to sleep, meals, and a warm, safe environment where they feel cared for and supported.

The goal of the program is to provide support and services that will assist struggling families to become financially independent and self-sufficient. Because we don't provide for physical needs using an institutionalized model, we do not institutionalize the condition of being without a home. Thus, this is a program that relieves physical discomfort, but it goes beyond that to provide assistance that will lead to long-term success and independence. These services are extremely important in light of current national statistics stating that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the US, making up 30-40% of the 3.5 million Americans who are without a home. It is estimated that 25-33% of the children of homeless parents are under the age of 5.

The growing threat to families nation-wide begs for local communities to respond if we are to stem the tide of families that might otherwise slip into generational homeless--putting a greater overall burden on local communities in the long run. This program--Family Promise--allows the local community to do something to impact its own economic stability and it pulls a large cross-section of citizens together giving them the opportunity to become personally involved. That means we are causing citizens to unite and invest in their local communities as they reach out to parents and children in need.

Although there are other services available to serve the needs of the homeless in Natrona County, the need is significant enough to require additional outreach. Family Promise of Casper offers the only program for homelessness that keeps children and families together. Family Promise of Casper can not only meet part of the need, but it can do so in a unique and effective way that builds and strengthens the community.