When Victoria Eley called the 211 hotline, she was praying for one thing: housing stability for her two children.
Two months later, she and her family are living in a Family Promise of Summit County apartment, a change she said has brought a sense of calm after months of stress.
“God aligns all your steps, and I feel like everything happened for a reason to get me where I’m at,” said Eley, 39.
She said she’s now able to focus on securing steady employment, with a longer-term goal of owning a home.
Eley’s experience reflects the mission of Family Promise, a nonprofit that helps Summit County families experiencing homelessness regain stable housing. Unlike many shelters, the organization keeps families together and accepts households of all types, from single parents to multigenerational families.
“That’s very important to families because it allows them to go to their own space, close the door and be a family,” said Jeff Wilhite, the organization’s executive director who is also the District 4 Summit County Council member. “It’s much less stressful, and it helps them address what they need.”
Expanding available housing for unhoused families in Summit County
Family Promise is expanding its housing capacity after recently purchasing two buildings with funding from an Ohio Department of Development grant. The first is a building in Cuyahoga Falls on Forest Glen Drive, which includes four apartments.
The second property, which sits adjacent to Glendora House, Family Promise’s Copley Road residential location near Buchtel Community Learning Center, adds two more apartments. Plans for the Copley Road site include removing the fence between the properties and expanding parking to create a connected campus.
Wilhite said the Cuyahoga Falls project is designed with long-term sustainability in mind, including a solar energy system to reduce operating costs and individual heating and cooling units in each apartment.
To support the work, Family Promise will launch a fundraising campaign called Rally for Renovations in January, with a goal of raising $175,000 to fund upgrades such as new flooring, paint and other improvements across both sites. The campaign will run through March or until the goal is reached.
How do families enter the Family Promise program?
Families enter Family Promise through the county’s coordinated housing system after calling the 211 hotline. Calls are routed through Summit County’s Continuum of Care and United Way of Summit & Medina — they determine whether Family Promise is the right fit or if another program can better meet the family’s needs, said Erica Ward Cherry, Family Promise’s director of case management.
Once a referral is received, staff conduct additional assessments to understand the family’s circumstances and move them into an apartment as soon as one is available. “We go through each family’s situation and brainstorm the best possible way to not only get them into housing quickly, but to improve their odds of sustaining that housing long term,” Ward Cherry said.
Before a family moves in, staff prepare the apartment with fresh linens, household supplies and essential items, including baby kits when needed.
Supporting long-term success
Family Promise does more than provide a roof, said Ward Cherry. Staff work with families to build long-term stability.
“Poverty is a major challenge for the population we work with,” Ward Cherry said. “It’s not that families don’t want to succeed. Many just never had the opportunity to learn things like budgeting or how to navigate systems.”
Case managers help families apply for jobs and government benefits, connect with landlords and build financial skills through partnerships with organizations such as the Financial Empowerment Center. Family Promise also works with Ohio’s Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) and the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) to help families manage utility costs.
Family Promises’ Going Home and Staying Home aftercare program allows the organization to provide financial support for up to a year — often the most vulnerable period for families, Ward Cherry said.
Each year, Family Promise serves about 45 to 50 families, housing up to 10 families at a time in apartments that typically accommodate three to four people. That capacity is expected to grow as the organization expands its facilities.
Survive to Thrive Homeownership Program
Beyond temporary housing, Family Promise also operates a long-term homeownership initiative for families who have completed the program and demonstrated financial stability. Through its Survive to Thrive Homeownership program, the organization purchases and renovates single-family homes, then offers them to qualifying families through a rent-to-own model.
Families selected for the program rent the home for one year before transitioning to a land contract, allowing them to build toward ownership at an agreed-upon price, Wilhite said. Family Promise currently owns five homes through the program, all occupied by families.
“Five of our families celebrated Thanksgiving in their own home — that was very exciting,” Wilhite said.
In September, the organization received a $500,000 donation from a private family foundation, which Wilhite said will be used to purchase additional homes and expand the Survive to Thrive program. The nonprofit hopes to have two or three more families on land contracts by next year.
Meisha Greer, a case manager, said one of her most rewarding moments is helping a family get its first home. She recalled a family who moved from Hawaii and recently settled into a fully furnished house. “They didn’t have anything at all, but they got their house fully furnished,” she said. “They contact me almost every day to say how excited and thankful they are.”
Children and community engagement
Family Promise also focuses on helping children maintain a sense of normalcy during what can be a traumatic period. Throughout the year, the organization hosts activities and events for families, including a summer camp that takes children to places such as the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Hale Farm & Village, and Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, as well as holiday celebrations and weekend cookouts.
“Children know when you care,” Wilhite said. “They’ll always remember being homeless, and that memory can be negative, or it can show hope. We choose to show them hope.”
To support its programs, Family Promise relies on community involvement, including volunteers who help with renovations, events and family support, as well as monetary and household donations that help furnish apartments and meet families’ basic needs.
This support can mean a fresh start for families — like Eley, who is now aiming to move into her own home. “They help you get back on your feet,” Eley said. “I’m very excited to move into a place of our own.”