MARYVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton, a national builder of off-site and site-built homes, and Family Promise, the nation's leading nonprofit addressing family homelessness, celebrate another impactful year of AFuture Begins at Home, a partnership program focused on preventing family homelessness. In 2021, the partnership served more than 680 families facing housing insecurity, including 1,500 children, by providing case management, rental assistance, landlord mediation, transportation and childcare support, and other important resources.
The partnership between Clayton and Family Promise works towards ending and preventing family homelessness. Kevin Clayton, Clayton CEO, Claas Ehlers, Family Promise CEO, and other discuss the efforts and impact of the partnership.
Children who experience family homelessness are 8 times more likely to repeat a grade and 42% of those children drop out of school at least once. Stable housing positively impacts a child's future.
Kevin Clayton, Clayton CEO, and Claas Elhers, Family Promise CEO, meet at a home donation to discuss ways to strengthen the partnership.
With over 200 affiliates in 43 states, Family Promise Affiliates are able to customize national funding to fit the needs of their local community.
Clayton and Family Promise are unified in the belief that stable housing provides the foundation of a strong future for families. The programs provided by Family Promise help families achieve sustainable financial independence.
Three years ago, Clayton and Family Promise established A Future Begins at Home to help prevent families from experiencing homelessness through grants to Family Promise Affiliates and home donations. Since that time, the program has attracted funding from numerous partners, increasing both its reach and impact. To date, A Future Begins at Home has served approximately 3,200 families at risk of experiencing homelessness, including 7,100 children. More than 75 percent of families who receive assistance through A Future Begins at Home continue to have stable housing long-term.
As part of the Clayton/Family Promise partnership in 2021, thirty-five Family Promise Affiliates across the country each received $10,000-$15,000 grants for homelessness prevention, shelter diversion and housing innovation efforts. These funds provide resources that enable families facing housing insecurity to remain in their homes or secure stable housing.
For example, Family Promise of Greater Beloit, WI used grant funds to help one family with a partial rent payment after the mother lost her job at the beginning of the pandemic and used her savings and unemployment to support her family. Because of A Future Begins at Home, this family was able to remain in their home during an uncertain time. The mother has since secured a new job and has resumed paying rent on her own.
"This is just one of hundreds of stories we've heard this year where these grants are helping families on the brink of experiencing homelessness," said Claas Ehlers, Family Promise CEO. "A child's future truly begins at home, and this funding allows our local Affiliates to help keep families in their homes and prevent children from ever experiencing the trauma of homelessness."
In 2021, Clayton also donated three homes to Family Promise Affiliates to be used as transitional housing, which bridges the gap from homelessness to permanent housing by offering structure, case management, and in some cases, education and training.
"Children deserve to have a stable place to call home and it is our mission to improve lives in our communities," said Kevin Clayton, Clayton CEO. "Through our partnership, Family Promise is finding innovative ways to make sure families get the help they need to maintain housing stability and focus on their future."
ABOUT CLAYTON Founded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness® through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing – including modular homes, manufactured homes, CrossMod™ homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. All Clayton Built® homes are proudly designed, engineered and assembled in America. In 2021, Clayton built 60,701 homes across the country. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com.
*CrossMod is a trademark of Manufactured Housing Institute.
ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers in 200+ communities in 43 states. Family Promise delivers innovative solutions for family homelessness including prevention, shelter, and stabilization services. We have served 1 million family members since our founding more than 30 years ago, and we aspire to change the future for 1 million children by 2030 through our community-based programs. Learn more at FamilyPromise.org.
Family Promise is a trademark of Family Promise, Inc.
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