Family Promise Mat-Su celebrates 10 years of service

WASILLA — Family Promise Mat-Su volunteers, board members and guests gathered Wednesday to share food, yard games and to reminiscence about the last 10 years combating homelessness.

The local Family Promise — and only one in the state — started up in 2005 with the help of the Palmer and Wasilla First Presbyterian Churches, among others. Palmer Church of the Nazarene, for example, provided the nonprofit with its first Day Center and office space. (Glacier View Alliance Church and Trinity Lutheran Church have also been long-time supporters.)

Family Promise Mat-Su Executive Director Laurie Kari said the organization houses between 50 and 60 people per year. Multiply that number by 10 years, and add 200 more kept from becoming homeless over the last four years — that’s a lot of Valley residents served.

“(Our work) is especially gratifying when we’re preventing people from falling into homelessness,” Kari said.

For the past eight years, Family Promise Mat-Su has hosted hundreds of supporters at the Alaska State Fairgrounds for its biggest annual fundraiser, Cardboard City. Despite frequent rainfall during the overnight event, Valley residents return each year to sleep in a cardboard box and gain financial sponsorships for the organization to continue its efforts to eliminate homelessness.

This year, the event runs from 5 p.m., July 17 to 8 a.m., July 18.

Financial and community support for Family Promise also has come from other nonprofits. For example, Mat-Su Health Foundation awarded the homelessness prevention and assistance organization a $195,000 grant in November 2013 to secure its current facility, located on Nelson Avenue in Wasilla. With the new facility, Family Promise has been able to expand its programs and better serve its temporary residents, who can play with their children at Wonderland Park across the street or catch a ride to work at the nearby bus stop.

Family Promise also has school system support, having recently received a check for $11,315.36 from the Colony High School student government. Kari was also invited to speak at Colony’s graduation, where she made a point to inform the students of 211, the number anyone in Alaska can call for free, confidential and multilingual health and human services information and referrals.

“I know they know it because I had them repeat it back to me,” Kari said.

The nonprofit has also received recognition and support by large business corporations, such as PetSmart, which last fall funded construction of the organization’s “pet sanctuary” for pets of families in transition.

As Family Promise has progressed locally, so have other homelessness prevention, assistance and sheltering organizations. Family Promise set the stage for groups like MY House, which will celebrate its second-year anniversary this September, and Knik House, the transitional living space that opened in March at 1801 N. Wasilla-Fishhook Rd.

“It’s been such a rewarding thing to be in on Family Promise from the beginning,” said Suzanne Bach-Edwards, a deacon at First Presbyterian of Wasilla.

Watching a client transition to a homeowner and then to a board member was especially memorable, she said.

“If it wasn’t successful, it wouldn’t still be here,” Bach-Edwards said, of Family Promise.

And if the system isn’t broken, there isn’t any need to fix it.

“(We’ll) just keep the program going like it is,” said board president John Weaver.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.