FP FIVE: Urgency of Homelessness
- Tasha Berillo
- 4 minutes ago
- 8 min read
May 23, 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:
Will you call Senators Baldwin and Johnson to advocate for families experiencing homelessness?
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“When families arrive in shelter to focus on budgeting is like trying to teach a person who is drowning how to swim. What they need is a life vest. Once they are safe and stable they can focus on learning how to swim.”
-Joe Nettesheim, Executive Director
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Family Promise of Waukesha County was well represented at the Women and Girls Fund Women of Distinction Luncheon on May 16. Our organization will receive a grant of $10,000 to support our stabilization program.
01. LUNCH AND LEARN, ONLINE!
Learn about agencies assisting those experiencing homelessness
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 to serve our community. These sessions will be online over the lunch hour. On Wednesday, May 28 the focus is on agencies who provide shelter or housing. On Tuesday, June 3 agencies who offer supportive services will be presenting.
May 28: Lunch and Learn, Online!: Housing
Scheduled to appear:
Community Action Coalition of South Central Wisconsin,
Family Promise of Waukesha County,
Hebron Housing Services
NAMI
Salvation Army
St Vincent DePaul
June 3: Lunch and Learn, Online!: Supportive Services
Scheduled to appear:
ADRC
Hope Center
Waukesha Free Clinic
Waukesha Public Library
And others!
02. SHELTER DIVERSION BIRTHDAY
Program started on May 1, 2024
Mission
The Family Promise of Waukesha County Shelter Diversion program has celebrated one year in existence. Data over this one year includes:
154 inquiries
57% or 88 households were successfully diverted from shelter
78 or 98% of those diverted remained housed
$700 average cost per diversion
The goal of diversion is to identify families in Waukesha County who are experiencing homelessness, emphasizing their strength and resources to help them utilize alternatives to shelter, reduce shelter demand, reserve emergency shelter for those who are most vulnerable, and use cost effective strategies to help families navigate their experience of homelessness.
The two biggest challenges for Shelter Diversion has been staff retention which did reduce the number of families we were able to support this first year and Shelter Diversion does not create more affordable housing.
Comparing our first year of Diversion to our other programs it quickly became our largest program. What we are now able to do is provide support to families who before diversion would have been referred elsewhere. Our entire approach to serving families in need has changed for the better. We are proud of our entire staff and the work they are doing to make Shelter Diversion a successful tool in assisting families.
Program Stats
Below are our statistics for all of our programs through the end of April. May has been an extremely busy month. Our current households and individuals we are assisting:
Total all programs: 37 households, 109 individuals
Shelter: 6 households, 19 individuals
Diversion: 19 households, 51 individuals
Prevention: 9 households, 29 individuals
Stabilization: 3 households, 10 individuals
03. THANK YOU GOLF OUTING SPONSORS
Grateful for all those who are supporting families in need
Fund Development
The purpose of the Family Promise of Waukesha County Golf Outing is to:
Gather the Family Promise community
Increase awareness about family homelessness in Waukesha County
Raise funds to support the services of Family Promise of Waukesha County
Have a great day of golf
Share our gratitude for all who support Family Promise of Waukesha County
It is one of our most important events to secure resources to provide shelter, financial assistance to prevent homelessness and stabilize families. This is why we are so grateful to all of our sponsors. Please support all those who made a commitment to serving our community and let them know you appreciate their concern for families experiencing homelessness!
Thank you to Green Bay Packaging- Baird Display as presenting sponsor and all those who are sponsoring this event:
You can help support the golf outing in a few ways:
Provide an auction item
Interested in golfing: contact Julie Bice: julie@familypromisewaukeshawi.org to be added to a waitlist for a foursome.
04. WISH YOU WERE HERE
Urgency in serving families experiencing homelessness
Mission
Reflection by Joe Nettesheim
This past week I came across an instagram video of a flash mob singing the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. It was a very good rendition that became very moving when during the chorus they showed a few people holding up photos of people that they had lost. The song itself is about a loss the band experienced when a member departed the group. The chorus captures the temporary nature of life and the vulnerability of human existence and the grief that can accompany our loses:
"How I wish, how I wish you were here
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found
The same old fears
Wish you were here."
The song made me reflect on how life is short and temporary. It underscores the importance of living each moment to the fullest, to treasure every relationship and understand that every moment in life is a gift.
Over the past couple of months I have felt a sense of urgency in our work at Family Promise. We often speak about the need for affordable housing and how someday, maybe, we will have enough housing that every family who works or lives in Waukesha County will be able to do so stably. Someday. Life is so precious, valuable, fragile and fleeting. Why should anyone have to wait for such a basic need as a home?
Someday just isn’t good enough for the mom who was going to be sleeping outside in the cold rain this past Tuesday, if it wasn’t for the kindness of a complete stranger who took her in and then helped her find Family Promise the next day. It isn’t soon enough for the two moms who are expecting babies soon and hope somehow, someway there will be a place they can afford.
I am proud of the work we do at Family Promise of Waukesha County. Our team is dedicated, professional, competent and compassionate. We have an excellent track record of helping families find housing. Yet there are moments we all feel there is more that can be done. Finding those limits is difficult because it is a moment of grief; a moment we recognize that we do not have the necessary resources available; it means there is one more family to whom we are saying “maybe, someday.”
POLL OF THE WEEK
Will you call Senators Baldwin and Johnson to express your support for families experiening homelessness
0%I will call Senator Baldwin
0%I will call Senator Johnson
0%I will call both
0%No
You can vote for more than one answer.
O5. FEDERAL BUDGET
Bill approved by the house now moves to the senate
Community
The House of Representatives passed a reconciliation bill this week that national experts are saying will have a negative effect on families experiencing homelessness primarily through cuts in SNAP benefits and Medicare. The bill moves onto the U.S. Senate and we ask you to consider calling Senators Baldwin and Johnson to share with them your support of families experiencing homelessness. Please voice any concerns you have about the impact the bill will have on families with minor children who are experiencing homelessness. Below is a sample message you can use to call or write to our Senators, urging them to recognize that weakening access to affordable healthcare and food will only worsen, not end, family homelessness.
“I am contacting you as a supporter of Family Promise of Waukesha County, a non-profit working to prevent and end homelessness for families in our community, to urge you to examine the harmful cuts to healthcare and nutrition assistance in the reconciliation bill for children and families.
In our work, we see firsthand the negative consequences of homelessness for children’s development. Intervening early to prevent homelessness or minimize the amount of time that a child experiences homelessness is crucial to their future success and makes smart economic sense for our country. Limiting access to healthcare and food for children and families in a housing crisis will hinder, rather than support, their ability to achieve stable housing and employment.
Every child needs a safe and stable place to call home. All of us who support families experiencing homelessness want an opportunity to work with your office to improve government assistance for children and families experiencing homelessness. These cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not help our nation’s families.”
Contact Your Senators:
Call 202-224-3121 between 9 am-5 pm EST, where a U.S. Capitol Switchboard operator will connect you directly with your Senator’s office(s). Wisconsin United States Senators are:
Tammy Baldwin
Ron Johnson
Feel free to ask to speak to a staffer who handles these issues, and leave a message if you need to.
Or write to your Senators: Click on the Senators name for a contact form
FIVE PLUS
Memorial Day
This weekend, let us remember and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten. May we all make a commitment to peace in our thoughts, words and actions. Thank you to all who gave their lives for freedom.
This short scene is Major Dick Winters whose time with the 101st Airborne in World War 2 was a focus of the mini-series Band of Brothers.
Point In Time Count
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. We hope you will join us on Wednesday July 23 starting at 10pm and ending about 2 am.
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
Good Day Waukesha
Good Day Waukesha is a daily email that summarizes the top stories of the day for Waukesha County. They also have a feature where people can vote for their favorite non-profit. We would like to invite you to receive this email and to vote daily for Family Promise of Waukesha County!
CALENDAR
May 26 Memorial Day - Offices Closed
May 27 Affordable Housing Workgroup
May 28 Lunch and Learn Online! Supportive Services
May 28 Fund Development Committee
May 30 Balance of State Quarterly Meeting
June 2 Staff Huddle
June 2 Volunteer Coordinator Meeting @ Waukesha Public Library
June 3 Lunch and Learn Online! Supportive Services
June 6 Diversion Meeting with Balance of State
July 21 Family Promise of Waukesha County Golf Outing
July 23 Point in Time Count
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