MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Organizations that help the homeless usually focus on either individuals or seniors. Family Promise supports families.
"Family homelessness. It is a growing crisis that Covid will probably make even worse. We serve exclusively families with children under 18," Caroline Lamar said.
She is the Executive Director of Family Promise of Blount County.
She said the need for resources for homeless families continues to grow. The Blount County chapter took in yet another family this week.
Caroline Lamar "They come to us and we immediately provide a safe place to sleep and we help them work toward their financial goals with the goal of sustainable independence in their own home."
While the parents work on that, their children would usually go to organized summer camps but they're not available.
COVID-19 forced the non-profit had to get creative quickly.
"We looked at really simple things. Playing in a garden hose. They have gotten so much joy out of running though a sprinkler. And just some of those basic summer things, We took them strawberry picking . We went walking in the woods last week. Played in the creek," she said.
A real treat this week was a visit from Louise Hargis from Zoo Knoxville. She stopped by with some cold blooded friends and they visited from a distance.
Before she arrived the children washed their hands and put on masks.
The coronavirus has shifted not only the programming for the children but also the way Family Promise interacts with its partners.
It is an Interfaith organizations that includes a network of churches. They usually supply housing and food but many churches are closed or restricting interactions.
"They still very much believe in the mission of Family Promise and want to support us. So when we said, hey, we need some things for summer camp. We need snacks. We need beach towels, sunscreen, bug spray. They responded and absolutely stepped up even though it's a way they've never helped Family Promise before but this is a way they could stay connected," she said.
They are staying connected despite a pandemic that demands social distancing.
Family Promise still embraces homeless families with the support they need because every child needs a home.
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