Family Promise of Lawton Inc

Family Promise is a shelter program designed for families with children. Unlike many shelters, we’re a program that’s designed to keep families together and sheltered in a manner most comfortable and welcoming to children. When a family is accepted into our program, we’ve already started the process of housing them in a permanent residence of their own.  To qualify for our services, a family must meet the same expectations of most low-cost housing. We shelter them and prepare them as we wait for housing to become available. Some families need help with employment and other skills to ensure their success. We also provide those services with transportation while they’re in our program. As soon as they’re on their feet and ready to enter housing, we do as much as we can to provide furniture, clothing, food, and cleaning supplies. After settling into their new home, we provide up to a year of case management.  With the help of the community and local congregations, we’re able to achieve success with one family after another. Before Covid-19, there was a rotational approach to overnight stays. Family Promise partnered with local churches to house the families at night, and worked with them at our center during the day. As the safety of our families, churches, staff, and volunteers came into question during the pandemic, we decided to house our families at the day center exclusively. We’re continuing to do so as the benefits of one location became apparent, but the program remains supported by community churches in a multitude of ways.

What we need help with:

Efforts are progressing to provide the essential services we’re known for, but our building needs improvements and updates to guarantee the success of our program. Please review the attached photos to visualize some of the issues we’re facing. The roof is in poor condition and has been recommended for replacement. Our administrative offices are also in the same facility that shelters our families. We have more space to utilize, but currently cannot since additional funding to make the needed updates is unavailable.  One bathroom that is out of order, and the remaining five others maintenance issues or are in non-compliance with city code.  Our kitchen is lacking basic functions, and many of the major appliances do not work. We have an amazing backyard with potential for impressive curb appeal and family activities, but we just don’t have the money.

What you can do:

We’re currently applying for multiple grants and care packages, but most of them require matching funds. Additionally, they seek to gauge public confidence in our mission and determine if stated tasks are being accomplished. The best way to prove this to the grantors is by raising funds right here in our community. Can you imagine every dollar we raise here being doubled or possibly tripled? It sends the message Lawton cares about families at Family Promise, and so should we.

Who We Are

We are a nonprofit in the Lawton community that assists homeless families with children. Family promise provides not only shelter by utilizing different hosting churches each week, we also provide a hand up through our case management program. We equip families with skills such as developing a budget, maintaining a savings account, parenting, interviewing, and keeping a clean residence so that when they secure housing, they are able to sustain it. We work to help our families find long-term solutions to end the cycle of homelessness.