Family Promise of Greater Rochester (formerly RAIHN)

Family Promise of Greater Rochester (FPGROC) assists families at risk of or experiencing homelessness to achieve sustainable independence by providing person-centered, holistic services in collaboration with the greater community. Founded in 2004 as RAIHN, FPGROC will have achieved success when affordable, decent, equitable housing is seen as a human right and every family has a place to call home. FPGROC holistically supports families through three programs: (1) Prevention & Diversion, (2) Shelter, and (3) Aftercare & Stabilization. The Prevention & Diversion Program seeks to keep families in their homes, divert them from shelter as they transition to stable housing, and support them in that transition. This program receives over 200 requests during the first week of each month for rental arrears and security deposit assistance. Over 85 families in 2022 have received financial assistance. Case managers follow up with families for up to one year to further support sustainable independence. Through the Shelter Program, FPGROC provides year-round emergency shelter for up to six families at a time using a scattered-site, apartment based model. Families work alongside case managers to set goals and save for their own place. Most of the families in Shelter work outside the home and all are required to have income. Twenty-three families including 48 children have entered the Shelter Program in 2022. Through its Aftercare & Stabilization Program, FPGROC provides services for families for one year after moving out of shelter and into permanent housing ensuring families maintain housing and self-sufficiency, and to be available if a family is in danger of returning to homelessness. The organization’s emphasis on comprehensive care management while in shelter and for one year after transitioning from shelter into permanent housing is evident in the statistics: from 2015 – 2020, an average of 85% of families exited into permanent housing and an average of 84% of families retained their housing for at least one year after exiting shelter. FPGROC is committed to weaving diversity, equity, inclusion, and access into the fabric of the organization, from program policies to human resources and fundraising philosophy and execution. We know families will continue to experience homelessness until systemic inequities - race, housing, education, healthcare and more - are acknowledged, torn down, and changed. According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and comprise 1/3 of the total homeless population. Rochester has a 47% child poverty rate, meaning nearly 22,000 children in Rochester are living in poverty. As rates of poverty continue to grow, evictions and family homelessness increase. FPGROC serves a critical role in providing services to an extremely vulnerable population within our community. Throughout the nation, there is a critical need for homeless shelters that service entire families and Rochester is no different. With resources and services for men, single women, victims of domestic violence, and recently incarcerated, there is a gap in services for those who don't fall into those categories, as well as for nontraditional families (head of household grandparent or LGBTQ-led families) or those deemed ineligible for services from the Monroe County Department of Human Services (DHS). FPGROC addresses this gap by serving married, as well as unmarried parents or grandparents with children 18 years of age and younger. Family Promise of Greater Rochester receives no reimbursement from DHS and accepts families regardless of DHS status; all beds at FPGROC are “hospitality beds”. FPGROC often receives referrals for families who have exhausted all other resources. It is common for a family to be referred to FPGROC because the family has not secured permanent housing within 30 days. It is also common for FPGROC to accept families who are working or receive SSI and don’t qualify for DHS assistance. FPGROC is an affiliate of Family Promise, Inc., a national organization that includes over 200 local affiliates. FPGROC receives no financial assistance from the national organization – 86% of income is received from individual and organizational donors and foundations with the remaining largely from the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG).

We focus on: Human Services

Where we are: Monroe