2020 July Newsletter

” [My liaison] is a true blessing to me. With her by my side she has helped me overcome obstacles and get stable and want to do better and want more out of life. I’m so grateful for everything. Families Forward is a life changing program that I’m so proud to be apart of. Thank you!!!!!!!!!”
-Starr

Program Updates

We are gearing up for school!
Even though learning will look different this year we are just as determined to support the families in our program. All children will need supplies for their at-home learning experience. Help them by:

1) Sign up to supply everything a child needs. Details can be found HERE.

2) You can purchase supplies from our Amazon Wish List that are shipped directly to us to distribute. A great option is the 45 piece kit for $18!

Last Call!
Want to make a difference in our community? Join us on Zoom to find out what it means to be a Family Liaison for the 2020-21 program year. With our Family Success Program, we provide each family with a ‘Family Liaison’ (a volunteer mentor) who works with the parent(s), one-on-one, during the year to help them obtain economic mobility. This is a 4-6 hour a month, hands-on volunteer experience where you can truly see the impact of your commitment!

We will be hosting information sessions via Zoom over the next week for those interested in learning more about this amazing opportunity.

Sign up to attend here.

“Caroline is incredibly helpful, kind, a great listener, and solution oriented. I’m very grateful for her and all the folks we have met and learned from in this program. Everyone is so understanding and kind hearted, and y’all have done so much to help us and other families in Charlotte and it’s helped restore some of my faith in humanity! … I have so much deep appreciation for everyone in this organization, and y’all have helped me in every way possible. I am using the tools that I’ve gained from this moving forward, and I have confidence in my ability to maintain stability for my family from here out, but there’s this new adjustment happening [COVID-19]. While the world is in crisis, what was working for me before this happened isn’t gonna work for me now so I have to figure out some thing else, but I know how to do that, and I am working on it. Thanks again, Michelle”

2019-20 Program Metrics

83% of families completed their program year and achieved at least 1 goal! A total of 38 Goals were accomplished this year!

A participant’s “Bridge score” is a measure of their overall self-sufficiency; higher scores indicate higher self-sufficiency. 61% of participants experienced an increase in Bridge score despite COVID-19 set-backs. The average change in score for participants was +8.78 points, meaning they showed solid progress in economic mobility!

96% of families agree that their knowledge of, and ability to access, services and resources that are available to their family has improved.

100% of families agree that they benefited from the relationship with their family liaison (volunteer mentor), with 87.5% saying their liaison had a GREAT impact on their life.

In case you missed it… Click for a recent news story on how we are serving the community!

Partnership Updates

Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation recently granted 29 organizations $1,114,841 in grant awards.

Families Forward Charlotte is honored to be among one of these organizations, receiving $30,000 to support the expansion of our Family Success Program. These funds will help us serve 50 families in the 2020-21 program year to advance the families in Charlotte who are living in poverty.

Thank you to Truliant Federal Credit Union for awarding Families Forward Charlotte $6,000 through their Charitable Contributions Grant. These funds will support our Family Success Program and 50 families as they work with their Family Liaison mentor over the next year to achieve long-term financial stab

Families Forward is grateful for the continued support of Providence Baptist Church. Providence Baptist works in partnership with Families Forward Charlotte to address significant needs within our city through their BLESS CHARLOTTE initiative. We recently received a generous donation from the Providence Baptist Endowment Fund in addition to 1308 toiletry items that are being distributed in essentials baskets to the families we serve.

Covid-19 Response Update

Thanks to your generous support and donations 26 families have had various Covid-19 needs met! In addition to paying for basic needs such as rent and utilities, you helped us support local families with vital internet connectivity, food, and other bill support. In the past 5 months:

Families were provided with over $6,000 in food support through food gift cards and groceries/meals delivered.
$26,000+ was provided in rent and utility assistance to prevent families from facing eviction or utility shut-offs.
Over $3000 provided for connectivity – internet service and/or phone bills.
$2800+ provided for various other needs including childcare, insurance and car payments.

Your support has not only provided for these tangible needs, but has helped to relieve stress for these 26 families during the pandemic and the uncertainty it has brought. THANK YOU!