FP FIVE: LUNCH AND LEARN, ONLINE

Tasha Berillo
7 days ago
6 min read

May 16, 2025

The Family Promise Five is a weekly newsletter whose purpose is to update, inform, and advocate for families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

The mission of Family Promise of Waukesha County is to help low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.

In this edition, you will find these stories:

SUPPORT FAMILIES THROUGH THE GOLF OUTING
LUNCH AND LEARN, ONLINE!
FROM INSTABILITY TO A HOME
WAUKESHA SHELTERS AT CAPACITY
POINT IN TIME COUNT

POLL OF THE WEEK

Considering that Waukesha shelters are full, where should our resources be focused?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The Shelter Diversion Program at Family Promise focuses on using a strengths-based approach, which empowers the families to lean into what they already have - resilience, skills, support system. Through focusing on a family's strengths, we can help them move toward lasting stability and avoid entering the shelter system."

-Kaitlin Kelly, Family Advocate for Shelter Diversion

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Thank you to Ann and Rhiannon for taking supply inventory!

01. SUPPORT FAMILIES THROUGH THE GOLF OUTING

Seeking Silent Auction Items for the Outing

Fund Development

Raise your hand to provide a silent or live auction item, basket or raffle prize! Your generosity will ensure that the Family Promise of Waukesha Golf Outing is a grand success and has the greatest ability to provide support to families experiencing homelessness.

Some ideas are:

Packers, Bucks, Brewers, Golden Eagles tickets
Sports outings
Broadway or civic theater tickets
Art
Sports memorabilia
Spirit wear for teams or schools
Home services like window washing, decorating service for Christmas, room painting
Museums or zoo passes
Gift cards to restaurants
Spa Day- hair, makeup, nails, massage
Golf packages
Tools
Items for around the house like a grill, lawn mower, snowblower, flag, plant, or welcome mat
Trips, park stickers, favorite day trip itinerary and gas card
Experiences like zip lining, helicopter ride , mini-golf, bowling, or movie passes
Travel Vouchers
Wine or alcohol and cigars
Your ideas!

If you would prefer to sign up to provide a basket you can use this link to provide a basket for the silent auction.

Interested in golfing: contact Julie Bice: julie@familypromisewaukeshawi.org to be added to a waitlist for a foursome.

Become a Sponsor

Presented by

Thank you to Green Bay Packaging-Baird Division for being the presenting sponsor.

Golf Outing Sponsors

02. LUNCH AND LEARN, ONLINE!

Shelter mom due in early June

Community

You are invited to learn about the agencies serving families and individuals who are housing insecure in Waukesha County. The purpose of these sessions are to celebrate and promote the good work being done in service of our community. Too often members of our community are not even aware of the need and resources available. These sessions will be online over the lunch hour on Wednesday, May 28 and Tuesday June 3. Below is a brief description of each session:

May 28: Lunch and Learn, Online!: Housing

Learn about the services from agencies who provide shelter or housing services to families and individuals in Waukesha County. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask questions. Expected participating agencies are: Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin, Family Promise of Waukesha County, Hebron Housing Services, Lutheran Social Services, Salvation Army, and St Vincent DePaul

RSVP HERE

June 3: Lunch and Learn, Online!: Supportive Services

Learn about agencies who provide supportive services to families and individuals who are housing insecure. Participating agencies are: Food Pantry of Waukesha County, Waukesha Free Clinic, Hope Center, NAMI, James Place, Denoon Recovery, Crisis Intervention Center and Waukesha Public Library

RSVP HERE

03. FROM INSTABILITY TO HOME

Single dad finds permanent housing for his family

Advocacy

The focus of the Shelter Diversion Program is to provide an alternative to shelter by offering support, resources, and hope when it's needed most. One recent story highlights just how powerful that support can be.

We met a single father with two young children who was doing everything he could to provide for his family. He was working a full-time job at a fast food restaurant, but without a stable place to live, he and his children were staying wherever they could. Sometimes they stayed with friends and occasionally they even slept outside. With few transportation options, poor credit, background challenges, and no long-term support system, the road ahead felt uncertain.

In an effort to create some stability, the father temporarily stayed in a hotel, but the cost quickly became unsustainable with his current income. That’s when Family Promise stepped in.

Our team worked with him to identify housing solutions with low barriers, and he was initially placed in a rooming home. Unfortunately, a bug infestation made the space unsafe, and we quickly pivoted to find something better. Eventually, he connected with a private landlord offering a two-bedroom unit—an ideal space for him and his children to begin again.

With support from the Bezos grant, Family Promise was able to cover the family's security deposit and first month's rent, enabling them to move in and start fresh. St. Vincent De Paul further assisted by furnishing their new apartment. Not only that, but the father found a new job with higher pay, making it possible for him to maintain his new home and provide more stability for his children.

Today, this family is safely and stably housed—proof that early intervention and compassionate support can prevent homelessness and open the door to lasting stability.

04. WAUKESHA SHELTERS AT CAPACITY

CBS 58 Story about a couple unable to enter shelter

Community

CBS 58 aired a report about a couple in Waukesha who are unable to access shelter because all the shelters are at capacity. Family Promise of Waukesha County is also near capacity, having one recently painted apartment unit that will become available soon. Since May 1, there have been 28 inquiries from families experiencing homelessness. When Family Promise of Waukesha is at capacity, clients have the option of participating in the Shelter Diversion program to find an alternative to shelter.

Although there is little availability in shelters, in the next couple of weeks, Hebron Housing Services will be utilizing the winter emergency shelter for single men and women, which will add six more beds for women.

Yet what is most insightful in this story is what Steven Bauer from the GuestHouse of Milwaukee stated, “people are staying in shelters longer, there are longer wait lines to get into shelters because there is not enough affordable housing to move them into.”

At the end of the day, shelter is only a temporary intervention. What is needed most is reflection on why people are homeless. The biggest contributing factor is that there is a lack of affordable housing. As the saying goes, the solution to homelessness is housing.

CBS 58 Report

POLL OF THE WEEK

Considering that Waukesha shelters are full, where should our resources be focused?

Additional shelter
Affordable housing
Transitional housing
Funds to prevent homelessness

O5. POINT IN TIME COUNT

Volunteers Needed for Outreach

Accompaniment

Volunteers are needed to help with the Point In Time(PIT) Count which will occur the night of July 23rd. A Point-In-Time, or PIT, count is conducted twice per year in January and July. During that One-Night period, Service Providers and Volunteers go out into their communities to survey those who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. A PIT Count is intended to capture a minimum amount of information on the homeless population in order to create a "snapshot" of what homelessness looks like in a neighborhood, city or state. The PIT Count determines funding amounts available for a community.

We hope you will join us on Wednesday July 23 starting at 10pm and ending about 2 am.

Funding received by Family Promise of Waukesha County makes it mandatory for us to participate. Often the responsibility of this count falls to a few agencies. Volunteers would be extremely helpful. Training will be provided.

FIVE PLUS

Mental Health Month

May is mental health month. During this month we hope all will focus on finding strategies to care for themselves and their mental health. We also want all to remember how difficult it can be to be a parent or caregiver while experiencing homelessness or poverty. This video explains and helps understand the impact of toxic stress on children and their development.

Watch Video Here

Gift Cards

Family Promise is in need of Walmart Gift Cards. These gift cards can help families buy hygiene products, cleaning products, clothes, diapers and even groceries. Gift cards in denominations of $10, $25 and $50 are used best.

If you have any questions please contact: tasha@familypromisewaukeshawi.org

Pillows Needed For Apartment Shelter