Shelter program for homeless families shutters Friday
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Family Promise of Greater Des Moines is ceasing operations tomorrow, the group announced on social media.
Why it matters: It's one of the only shelter services in the metro that keeps families with children that are experiencing homelessness together.
- Meanwhile, Anawim Housing recently sold some of its properties to pay for ongoing operations, which cannot be used as a long-term financial solution, president Cynthia Latcham tells Axios.
State of play: Both groups have played a role in finding solutions for metro homeless populations for more than 20 years and both say volunteer and financial levels have not recovered from a pandemic drop.
- Anawim is still working on solutions. Its leaders will detail the financial situation in a community alert in January, Latcham said.
Zoom in: Family Promise offered families a range of services that included employment, child and health care assistance.
- 16 families, including 22 adults and 35 children, were assisted by the group last year, according to its annual report.
Details: Grants and contributions to Family Promise fell around $75,000 — more than 20% — from $334,000 in 2020 to around $259,000 last year, its tax records show.
- Board members made a proactive decision to end operations so that its remaining finances can pay debts, according to the shelter service's statement announcing its closure.
What we're watching: Anawim is a much bigger nonprofit that provides permanent housing to hundreds of people in the metro who were previously experiencing homelessness.
- Its total revenue fell more than 14%, from just over $7.8 million in 2019 to about $6.7 million in 2021, according to the group's most recent tax documents.
Of note: Anawim still manages the properties it sold, which means the homes continue to serve low-income people, Latcham says.
What they're saying: Family Promise's closure is "a canary in the coal mine" for other metro groups serving homeless populations, Latcham tells Axios.
- As of yesterday, there were 90 metro families on shelter waiting lists but the remaining groups only have the capacity to serve 18, Amy Croll, a spokesperson for homelessness planning group Homeward, tells Axios.
- Catholic Charities and Families Forward continue to serve families in homeless situations, Croll says.
Go deeper: DSM food pantries set "staggering" records.