As the world gears up for the excitement of the upcoming Olympics, we are reminded of the incredible power of perseverance, determination, and the pursuit of excellence. Just like the athletes striving for gold medals, our community here at Families Forward Charlotte embodies the values of resilience and triumph. We continue to support and encourage families facing challenges, helping them create individualized goals of/for success.

Join us in celebrating the Olympic spirit within our community, where every victory, both big and small, is cause for celebration. Together, let's cheer on the athletes and families alike, as they reach their personal milestones and draw inspiration from their journeys.

 

Feeling inspired? 

Join our Sustainers by setting up a monthly donation today. As little as $10 a month ensures more families in our community can reach their gold medal!

Our Gold Medals Winners Are...

 Nicole J. updated her resume and created a budget!

Dorsheka raised her credit score!

Katrina M. lost 20 pounds!

Kayla found stable and affordable housing!

Zakiya has stuck to her budget and hasn't needed assistance for 9 months!

Latonya completed her budget and got housing!

Tina purchased a vehicle!

 

Congratulations to our Family Partners on their successes!

 

 From day one, Courtney Brown has demonstrated her strong passion for people and commitment to helping others. Not only has she been a Family Liaison for almost 2 years, but she has volunteered at a number of our monthly educational workshops. From our staff check-ins with Courtney, she always seems to demonstrate the perfect balance between checking in with her Family Partner and creating a genuine relationship to actively discussing and setting goals.

 

Together she and her Family Partner have prioritized goals centered around finances (debts, increasing income, credit score) and education (completing B.A degree, taking public notary course, learning about copyrighting). Over the course of their partnership they have completed 19 goals and have plans to complete 3-4 more goals prior to graduation this Fall.

 

Her Family Partner, Sammica, said, "Courtney is always there when I need her whether it's to discuss troubles of either my teen or my career path. She has been a strong support system for me and I'm thankful this program brought her into my life." 

 

Ms. Barbara was one of the first families that FFC worked with in 2017.  Since then, she has become a fierce advocate for our programming and has continued to stay involved in multiple ways, including being a part of our Alumni Association board.

Ms. Barbara recently joined a workshop to speak with program participants about how they can take advantage of all that FFC offers and the impact that full participation can have on their lives.

 

We appreciate her sharing her journey and advocating for others!

 

We are grateful for our new partnership with HEAL Charlotte and their director, Greg Jackson.  HEAL Charlotte is a place-based organization participating in neighborhood revitalization with a holistic approach.

As a part of their Housing Stabillty program, they recently opened a 100+ room hotel that will be used to house individuals and families that received wrap around services from HEAL Charlotte and their partners.  FFC now has access to at least five of the rooms so that families in our program can have stable housing as they work towards their economic mobility goals.  This is a game-changer for our mission and for the greater Charlotte community.

 

Thank you for your vision, Greg and HEAL Charlotte! 

"I have been blessed..."

Family Liaison mentor, Wes Argabrite, recently shared with us "I have been blessed to support a mother and daughter that appreciate me. We have challenges but one day at a time, we are MOVING FORWARD!"

 

Becoming a Family Liaison mentor is more than just a volunteer opportunity. It is an opportunity to build a meaningful relationship and truly feel the direct impact of your volunteerism.

 

Sign up to attend one of our informational sessions and begin your journey of helping a family move FORWARD. Our next training dates will be Friday, September 27th and Saturday, October 5th. We can't wait to see you!

FFC In The News!

Elaine's story was recently featured in a Charlotte Observer article.  Check it out!

Shop For Good

We are gearing up to provide all families in our FSP with an Essential Basket. These are baskets of cleaning supplies and toiletries that we distribute three times per year to alleviate the costs of these items so our program families can focus their limited income on other necessities like food and rent.

 

Our biggest need at this moment is laundry baskets. You can help us by shopping our Amazon list below!

The More You Know...

The latest data from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies shows that with the growing housing crisis (rising rents, stagnant wages, lack of affordable housing), evictions continue to rise and the US has the highest homelessness counts on record. "[This] level of cost-burdened households in 2022 had not been seen since the Great Recession in 2008, when 10 million Americans lost their homes to foreclosure."

 

These statistics are all too real for many families in our Family Success Program. We strive to provide families with the knowledge, resources, and support to help alleviate this burden, but much work remains to be done. Read more about the crisis and how lawmakers are strategizing ways to address it below.

 

How can you help? 
You can vote for policies that support affordable housing and budgets that provide funding for HUD and homelessness programming.  You can support our mission with a donation and/or volunteer to be a Family Liaison mentor and help local parents and caregivers obtain their economic stability goals.