Family Promise receives $1M Bezos grant to help Wake County’s homeless families find permanent homes Family Promise of the Triangle, a Wake County organization serving families experiencing homelessness for 30 years, received a much-needed $1 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Fund. The organization does not just offer families a temporary roof over their heads – they provide apartments, creating a semblance of normalcy and a path toward a brighter future. Lisa Owens and her six-year-old son moved into her apartment three weeks ago. It’s the first stable housing they have had in a long time. “It’s been on and off since 2012, but his whole life has just been place to place, and we really never had our own space.” Lisa Owens said. The Family Promise of the Triangle provides temporary shelter for families experiencing homelessness but it also has a transitional housing program that helps families create a future. “There are requirements where they have to be employed; they have to put so much into an escrow account every month; they have to work with their case manager; they have budgeting skills; they attend life skills classes.”Scott Ferris, Family Promise of the Triangle, said. Family Promise has turned a former student housing complex into 12 three-bedroom, three-bath apartments. It keeps things as normal as possible for families, especially children. “A child that experiences homelessness is one to two years behind in school,” Ferris said. “They’re more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, more likely to commit suicide.” Ferris says they served 136 families across six programs last year, up from the previous year, and the need is just increasing. “We have calls between 15 and 20 a day now, people requesting services,” Ferris said. Owens has a job cleaning houses and has enrolled her six-year-old in school. For the first time in a long time, she has hope. “Being a single mom is something else. The girls, I had help with their dad, and I don’t get child support or anything, and it’s scary, and just to be here is stability,” Owens said. related •Credits [Jelia Hepner](/rs/bio/20740495/)
