Our History
Family Promise began as a local response to the crisis of family homelessness in Union County, New Jersey. More than 30 years later, we’re a national movement with a presence in almost every state and serving nearly a quarter of a million people a year.
THE BEGINNING
Homelessness has been an issue in Bozeman and the surrounding area for many years. Before Family Promise was founded in 2005 there had never been a shelter program addressing homelessness in the Gallatin Valley. Surveys had been completed; concerns were raised, but the simple solution to homelessness continued to be a bus ticket out of town. Bozeman was known throughout the state as “shipping its homeless away.”
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The Gallatin Valley Interfaith Agency (GVIA) decided there had been inaction for too long and decided to do something about homelessness. Shelly Wickstrom, then pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church, said a community she lived in previously had an interfaith hospitality program where families experiencing homelessness resided in churches, volunteers provided meals, and professionals provided case management to help families regain their independence. The model had been proven effective and there was a national program that would provide technical assistance to get the program up and running.
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A team of interested persons formed a committee and in 2005 became the founding board of Family Promise of Gallatin Valley. The founding board consisted of Roxanne Klingensmith, President (Deacon at St. James Episcopal Church); Shelly Wickstrom, Vice President (Pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church); Sally Loble, Treasurer (Retired Accountant); Brett Fagan, Secretary (Gallatin Community Clinic social worker); Cindy Pipinich (Licensed Counselor and Minister at Hope Lutheran Church); Mike Brown (Nonprofit Management/Bozeman United Methodist Church) and Jerry Meek (Marketing Professional).
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On January 5, 2005 an agreement was signed between Family Promise (national) and Family Promise of Gallatin Valley, Inc. Sally Loble completed all the forms for tax exempt status and the IRS granted Family Promise of Gallatin Valley its 501 (c) (3) nonprofit status in a record five days on October 27, 2005! Roxanne Klingensmith began the donations needed by withdrawing $25,000 from her own retirement account. All other founding board members gave generously of their finances, time, and talents. Jerry Meek developed the logo, brochures, and all Family Promise written materials. The national office continued to provide technical assistance in recruiting congregations, fundraising expertise, and all development matters.
Roxanne Klingensmith
(Founding Board Member, 2005)
THE FIRST FAMILY
In December 2005 the position of Executive Director was advertised, and on January 30, 2006 Gloria Edwards began work as the first Executive Director. Donna Watson Lawson, SE Regional Administer for Family Promise national, conducted two days of training for the new Executive Director. Coordinators from each of the eight beginning congregations received training from Ms. Lawson, as well as additional training for all board members. The ten beginning congregations were St. James Episcopal Church, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hope Lutheran Church, Bozeman United Methodist Church, Belgrade Community Church, First Lutheran Church, Mt. Ellis Academy, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, and Pilgrim Congregational Church.
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St. James Episcopal Church donated the Canterbury House on South Tracy as the first Family Day Center for a period of two years. Ray Ross from St. James was elected to the board and served as the liaison and facility manager. Volunteers from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bozeman painted the facility. Ray Ross and Gloria Edwards made repairs and furnished the house to prepare it for homeless guests. The first family was accepted into Family Promise on March 10, 2006.
THE FIRST TWO YEARS
Mike Brown served as the Van Driver from March 2006 until shortly before his death in July, 2006. Larry King was hired in April 2006 as the Sunday Coordinator (10 hours per week) to move families, beds, and all belongings from church to church. As a Seventh Day Adventist, Larry worshiped on Saturday and was available to work every Sunday. In 2007, Linda Wagner, a volunteer from the Bozeman United Methodist Church, gifted Family Promise with a brand new 2007 Haulmark trailer to haul roll-away beds and families’ possessions.
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During the first two years the director wrote grants and hired a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) to assist with the program. On October 26, 2007 the first full-time Family Case Manager was hired. In 2009 a VISTA was recruited to serve as a volunteer director. Bridget Pitman was so successful in this position that in 2010 the position became a regular full-time employee position.
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Meanwhile, Family Promise of Gallatin Valley continued to serve approximately 15 families per year with an 80% success rate of families securing employment, quality child care and permanent housing. Family Promise staff and board worked diligently to inform more and more people about homelessness in the Gallatin Valley area. In 2007 the Montana Commission on Community Service awarded Family Promise of Gallatin Valley the Governor’s Award for Civic Engagement for a non-profit agency. In 2008 the first local continuum of care was founded when over 25 agencies came together to address homelessness. Gloria Edwards took a leadership role and served as the Coordinator of the Greater Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition for the first two years.
NEW DAY CENTER
The program quickly outgrew the Canterbury facility at 209 South Tracy. A capital campaign was created by the board to purchase a new facility, but due to the recession in 2008 the campaign was put on hold. The lease was extended by St. James Episcopal Church until November 30, 2009. Ray Ross and Gloria Edwards refused to give up and enlisted the help of Taunya Fagan, a realtor and wife of Brett Fagan, founding board member. A house with 5 bedrooms was located on East Story Street that was suitable to meet the demands of the program. It had a two bedroom basement apartment that could hopefully be used as a transitional apartment once the organization was fiscally stable.
Ray Ross contacted an acquaintance, Tim Barnard, and asked Tim to consider a large donation. Gloria Edwards, Ray Ross and Tim and Mary Barnard met at 429 East Story and toured the house. Gloria Edwards pointed out what each room would be used for (3 offices, nap room, play room) and when Tim and Mary saw the garage; they asked if we would be storing the van there. Gloria Edwards replied that Family Promise could save $62 a month by using it for furniture storage for our families rather than paying Sentry Storage. Tim and Mary said “Sold!” and then came back to 209 South Tracy to meet our families. 429 East Story was purchased for $340,000 ($215,000 from Tim and Mary Barnard) in June 2009, a full five months before the lease expired on the Canterbury House.
In 2010 Family Promise received an anonymous donation of $250,000 and the Tim and Mary Barnard Family Day Center was paid in full. In 2011 the basement apartment was designated transitional living, and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between HAVEN, the local domestic violence program, and Family Promise to share the facility at 6 month intervals for graduates from either shelter program.
PET FRIENDLY SHELTER
In 2013 Family Promise of Gallatin Valley became the second affiliate in the nation to start a PetSmart Promise program. $35,000 was received from PetSmart to build a pet kennel area so that no homeless family had to give up their dog to enter shelter. Family Promise of Gallatin Valley is the first shelter program in the state of Montana where emotional support animals and their families can stay together.
SWITCH TO STATIC SHELTER
In 2020, when shelter in place orders came about during the Coronavirus Pandemic, St. James church graciously allowed us to utilize their Rectory Building as a static shelter site for our guests at the time to stay. We saw an increase in families looking for shelter, so we also converted our Day Center on Story St. from staff offices to another static shelter for guests to sleep. At the end of 2020, FPGV staff had many discussions with stakeholders and decided to permanently remain in a static site model.
STEPPING STONES PROGRAM
As the need for shelter kept increasing and HRDC was closing down their seasonal shelter, FPGV staff knew they had to look for more solutions to housing families experiencing homelessness. In partnership with HRDC, FPGV was able to rent the top floor of their Rodeway Hotel as an extended stay option for families in crisis increasing our shelter capacity from 4 families at a time during the rotational model to 18 families in the static model.
NEW FAMILY RESOURCE AND CHILDCARE CENTER 2022
It is only because of your belief in the strength and resiliency of our families and our community that we are able to expand our programming to reach more families in Gallatin Valley.
Floor one consists of Rising Stars, an early childhood learning center for infants and children from all economic backgrounds but will prioritize placement for families experiencing homelessness and are enrolled in one of our programs. Floor two is Bozeman's only year-round Family Resource Center, providing case management, laundry, a full kitchen, two resting rooms, two bathrooms for showering or bathing, computers, and numerous community resources to the families we serve.
January 2022: Increased staff size from 17 to 34 to serve an increase in growth of 95% over last fiscal year.
April 2022: Designed and implemented a program to divert families from the trauma of entering shelter by providing rental assistance, gas cards, and landlord mediation.
July 2022: Awarded $1 million from the State of Montana enabling Rising Stars to continue serving vulnerable families, ensuring no family must choose between paying rent or paying for early learning.
Ongoing: Anchoring ourselves in celebrating diversity by creating and implementing a comprehensive diversity, equity, inclusion, and access policy, which informs our work, every day.
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FPGV Purchases A Journey Home Campus 2023
On July 31st, 2023, Family Promise of Gallatin Valley (FPGV) purchased The Montana Bible College Campus, now referred to as A Journey Home. The campus serves as an emergency shelter, transitional housing, and has added workforce housing to our available services. A Journey Home provides a space for classes, a resource center, a community room, on-site case management, and so much more. By offering a comprehensive set of programs and services, FPGV directly addresses the challenges of homelessness, affordable housing, and access to essential resources faced by the community. These programs provide families with the tools, support, and opportunities they need to break the cycle of homelessness, achieve stability, and build a brighter future for themselves.
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In 18 years, the number of families receiving services from Family Promise increased by 4,725%. The acquisition of A Journey Home allows FPGV to improve the safety and quality of our shelter and housing programs. By having a dedicated facility designed specifically for the use of children and families, FPGV can ensure that families have secure and comfortable accommodations. This includes features such as appropriate sleeping areas, communal spaces, and amenities that promote the safety, well-being, and dignity of both children and their caregivers.
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