Tonight, dozens of Lawrence children will be forced to sleep in cars, cheap motels or outdoors. Without housing, they are vulnerable, friendships are difficult, school is challenging, health is endangered and self-esteem is fragile. Surrounded by all the beauty and comfort that this community offers, their lives are bleak.

Half of these children are under 7 years old. They are children of the working poor who have suffered setbacks that have left them, often for the first time in their lives, homeless. They once lived in a neighborhood where they went to work, shopped, paid taxes, voted, and sent their children to school. But a lost job, sickness or injury, fire, or transportation breakdown has put them on the street.

Unlike the chronic or transient homeless populations, they are not street-smart. Embarrassed by their condition, they mostly stay out of sight. It is a sad fact that every public school in Lawrence, from K through 12, has children who will have no secure place to sleep tonight. Some of your children have them in their classes – and likely don’t know it. No child brags about homelessness.

Fortunately there is a solution to this problem: Family Promise. Now located in 140 communities around the country, it is a proven system that gets families back on their feet and into their own homes to stay. Through a network of faith congregations, families are provided with food, shelter, transportation, counseling and training. In turn, families agree to follow rules for behavior and work every day on solving their problems, improving income, and planning for permanent housing. Those with jobs must put 80 percent of their take-home pay in a personal savings account.

The director and the screening process for admission are keys. The director is a full-time trained professional who manages the program, enforces rules, coordinates supporting congregations, and gets families into permanent housing. The stringent screening process has proven to be effective in keeping out those who might be a risk to children, volunteers, or our neighbors. No one with a drug or alcohol addiction, history of abuse or violence, or criminal background can be admitted. The director has a vested interest in weeding out risky persons, as she spends 40 hours every week with them in the day center.

Each host congregation houses and feeds the families one week every quarter. Providing refuge has been a mission of faith communities around the world for centuries and is a First Amendment right.

Families are transported every morning to a day center where they shower, do laundry, look for jobs and housing, get counseling and training and store their belongings. Children are bused to school. Day centers can be found in a variety of venues, including residential areas, where they have proven to be good neighbors. They are well-maintained, quiet and unobtrusive. Checks around the country indicate that neighbors experience no problems and often serve as volunteers. City officials we have contacted love Family Promise. The mayor of Las Vegas recently gave Family Promise a house for $1 a year in recognition for 10 years of success!

We expect no such largesse from the city of Lawrence. In fact, we ask for no city funding. The host congregations provide the bulk of resources in food, shelter and volunteers. Funds for the director’s salary, van, day center, insurance and operations are being raised from private sources.

Family Promise has proven itself for 20 years. Over that time, 120,000 volunteers from 5,000 faith congregations have served more than 220,000 people in 39 states. Their success rate is phenomenal; 80 percent of families who enter the program graduate into permanent housing! The average family remains in the program less than 90 days. This is clearly not a program that enables people to remain homeless. Instead, it transforms their lives and blesses congregations and volunteers, who repeatedly describe Family Promise as the best ministry they have ever served.

So far, 11 congregations from all over Lawrence have agreed to serve as hosts; another five will provide additional volunteers, food and/or funds. Individuals have pledged more than half our $120,000 first-year budget. After volunteer training, we will be ready to open our doors to displaced children and their families in November. The remaining obstacle to this ministry is approval from the city on zoning. We trust that Lawrence will not keep us from bringing its children in out of the cold.

With the help of faith communities, volunteers, and private funds, Lawrence is finally poised to effectively address this growing problem. If you want to learn more, e-mail us at lawrencefamily promise@yahoo.com.