Celebrating the impact of Families Moving Forward
Written by Dylan Novacek, Content Specialist
For more than 30 years, congregations in our community have been providing emergency shelter to families in crisis through Families Moving Forward (FMF). And for over a decade, the FMF shelter program has been an important part of Beacon’s work in the community.
For our collaborative, it was a way for engaged volunteers to live out their deepest faith values by opening their congregation’s doors to families without shelter.
And for the families served, it was stable ground to find support on their way home.
As the program’s ownership transitions to His House Foundation-Abundance, we know that the important work of sheltering families will be in capable and strong hands.
We express our deepest gratitude to the many individuals and congregations who supported and made FMF possible over the years. Looking back on our collaborative’s time hosting families, we celebrate the many success stories and moments of impact that we experienced together.
Impacting families
“When we came to Families Moving Forward, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew we’d be staying at different churches every week,” Mattie said, reflecting on her time in our shelter program (pictured left). “Our first church was big, the people were nice, and the food was excellent. They made us feel welcome.”
Every family’s journey to stability is unique. For Mattie, and hundreds of other individuals over the years, the journey was made that much easier thanks to the support and resources they found at FMF.
“The staff became our family,” she continued. “They were our mentors and guidance. FMF taught us how to budget and save. Most importantly, they taught us patience. I am grateful I got to meet these people. From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful FMF took my family and I in.”
“Going through FMF taught me to believe in myself, and reminded me I wasn’t alone,” expressed Jessica (pictured left), a former shelter guest and current Beacon resident.
Jessica’s FMF journey began when she was living out of her car. Looking for a place to park and sleep for the night, she found herself in the FMF day center’s parking lot. Upon asking if she could spend the night in the parking lot, staff welcomed her in to shelter with open arms.
“They gave me a listening ear and were a trusting presence. The program connected me to resources and brought my boys and I into a home of our own. Now over 10 years later, we remain stably housed and my son just graduated high school,” Jessica smiled.
Jessica and Mattie aren’t alone in sharing how FMF changed their lives. The families who came through the program experienced more success stories we than we can count.
Arch’s Story
“I am thankful for the support my family received. I know firsthand what the right kinds of support can do for a family experiencing or exiting instability,” expressed Arch, a former shelter guest and housing advocate.
Arch’s time in the shelter program has shaped his worldview. Experiencing homelessness at a young age, he has grown up to become an art educator and an advocate for the creation of more family supportive housing. Arch shared some of his story at Beacon’s Light the Way Home fundraiser, and contributed feedback for the design of Emerson Village, upcoming family supportive housing from Beacon.
While staying in our shelter program, he and his family stayed overnight at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.
“I remember going through the fridge with my brother and seeing all the snacks. We thought we had made it big,” Arch laughed. “What grounded me most as a shelter guest was meeting the volunteers from each of the churches. They’d bring their own kids, and we’d play video games. The kindness everyone showed us helped normalize what I was going through. And the support my mom received changed everything for our family.”
Inspiring the collaborative
These success stories and support the families received would not have been possible without the support of local congregations and hundreds of volunteers. Supporting FMF through time, energy, and faithful generosity has been a way our Beacon community has lived out its values and supported our neighbors experiencing homelessness.
“We do this work because we’re people of faith,” stated Pastor Ben Hilding of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New Prague. “Our congregation follows the Jesus ethic and believes he’d open his doors to host those without shelter for a night.”
Pictured: Volunteers making the beds.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, a revolving roster of congregations would host the shelter families. Together they’d cook and share meals together, children would play together, and more. When we began hosting families in hotels in mid-2020, congregations would continue their generosity and offer meals.
Working with families one-on-one proved to be an inspiring and meaningful experience for Beacon congregants. For many, this was their first touch point into advocating for the vision that all people have a home.
“I’ve had so many stand out experiences volunteering with FMF,” reflected Bette Joe Hansen of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Twin Cities. “Whether it’s watching the teenage girls in shelter get ready for prom, or seeing the volunteers take to the children. Seeing them smile and play. There’s a reason people come back to volunteer. Young or old, volunteering with FMF enriches your life.”
“There are kids just like me without a stable home. I’m glad I can give them a helping hand,” shared Ye’ela, a young volunteer from Temple Israel in Minneapolis. “I love meeting new friends, playing with the babies, and making the family’s day a little brighter. It’s a very special thing.”
“Volunteering with FMF has been a great opportunity to broaden our family’s worldview,” said Ye’ela’s mother Amit. “Seeing families helping other families is so important. It’s a good reminder of how complicated life can be. It’s important for me to connect myself to a greater, more complex issue that will only improve if we all work together.”
Pictured: Volunteers playing music with children in shelter.
These pivotal experiences FMF has given clergy and volunteers has strengthened and inspired our collaborative of 100+ congregations who are united in this shared Beacon mission. We know congregations will continue to show up for home, whether that’s with His House Foundation-Abundance, or with Beacon and our many efforts to see that all people have a home.
It’s impossible to run a household when there isn’t a roof over your head. As we address Minnesota’s housing crisis, we are working towards creating more deeply affordable homes for families, stewarding policy solutions to create greater access to home, and sustaining our 19 current Beacon homes. And we invite you to follow along and take action in this work.
Celebrating our shelter staff
“It’s sometimes bittersweet to see a family move to the next steps, because I want to see them through it. I remember working with a resident from her first day in shelter to her last,” reflected Vang Yang, Housing and Shelter Case Manager. “She came to the shelter to pick up her things. She smiled and told me that she was ready to go home.”
We’re truly grateful for our staff members who supported families in shelter each and every day. Their kindness, passion, and dedication to this work made a world of difference for the families in shelter.
“I just want to give a tremendous and heartfelt THANK YOU and many blessings to Rebekah, Vang and Sheldon for all of their hard work, compassion and consideration for all of us at the churches,” exclaimed Mary Bujold from the Basilica of Saint Mary. “Their help and input over the years has been extremely helpful. I know that I have learned a lot from each of them. We will all miss their contributions tremendously and we all wish them the absolute best in their new endeavors.”
It takes all of us to support families
“The support of congregations and volunteers brought unique touches to FMF,” Vang continued. “They helped us provide meals, tutoring support, and more. We’re grateful for the partnerships of so many who commit to supporting the families. As a team at FMF, we worked together to advocate for all families.”
As this important shelter program transitions to His House Foundation-Abundance, we thank everyone who joined us in this hard work to help shelter families without a home. The work continues, and together we’ll continue to show up and ensure that all people have a home.
Click here to learn the ways you can get involved with Beacon. And click here to learn more about His House Foundation-Abundance.
