Giving 2020
EVERY DONATION HELPS A FAMILY BREAK THE CYCLE
For more than thirty (30) years, Family Shelter Services – formerly Fauquier Family Shelter Services – has provided emergency shelter and transitional housing support services to homeless individuals and families throughout the greater Piedmont region. Every day we are committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness and depend on the generosity of individuals, community groups and local businesses to maintain and improve upon the services we offer. FSS is a private non-profit organization in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.
HOMELESSNESS IS APPARENT IN CITIES BUT IN LESS POPULATED AREAS, IT IS PRACTICALLY INVISIBLE
While the federal government is working to reduce homelessness in urban areas, rural American homelessness is steadily increasing. U.S. Department of Education data reveals that since 2013 the number of rural homeless grade-schoolers has grown 11% to account for nearly 162,000 students. Families in need of safe and secure housing are often overlooked by the HUD census because they don’t have reliable addresses to receive regular mail.
FSS RECOGNIZES THE UNSEEN BY PROVIDING RELIABLE SUPPORT TO OUR PARTICIPANTS
FSS supports housing insecure individuals and families by offering a 52-bed emergency shelter in Warrenton which operates round the clock serving more than 400 individuals annually. The Warrenton facility is the only year-round emergency shelter in the greater Piedmont region of Fauquier County, Culpeper County, Rappahannock County, and Stafford County. FSS also provides transitional housing services to qualified individuals and families at the Vint Hill location. This services is unique as the program helps participants achieve their long-term fiscal goals by offering skilled guidance to meet every day expenses while planning and saving for future growth. The program reinforces sustainability and techniques for managing every day life and its unforeseen challenges.
FSS is pleased to share the story of a single mother, Donna J., with two young children who – in just over a year – has paid off her debts, been promoted to an Assistant Manager and increased her savings to nearly $7,000.00! She was recently pre-approved for a mortgage and has been busy house-hunting. This is a monumental achievement for Donna and her children. She achieved what she perceived to be the unthinkable by receiving professional guidance and positive reinforcement of the skill-set she needed to attain her fiscal, professional and long-term goals.
Her story is like so many others FSS has shared over its long history
of successfully assisting people in need of safe and encouraging surroundings.
FSS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT TO MAINTAIN OUR SERVICES
Our donors, big and small, realize that Family Shelter Services is meeting a critical need for families in our area. Statewide in Virginia there are more than 5,000 homeless individuals on any given night. Sadly, 15% of those are unsheltered. Every day we receive calls from people in devastating circumstances. All donations are put to immediate use to keep our facilities operating, our programs staffed, and our participants educated and empowered.
We depend on community support for
more than 65% of
our operating funds
It costs
$300
PER PERSON
PER MONTH
TO BE HOUSED IN OUR PROGRAM
Less than $10 a day to help a struggling family receive:
-
life-supporting shelter
-
healthy food
-
financial instruction
-
emotional support
FSS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT TO MAINTAIN OUR SERVICES
Our donors, big and small, realize that Family Shelter Services is meeting a critical need for families in our area. Statewide in Virginia there are more than 5,000 homeless individuals on any given night. Sadly, 15% of those are unsheltered. Every day we receive calls from people in devastating circumstances. All donations are put to immediate use to keep our facilities operating, our programs staffed, and our participants educated and empowered.
The global pandemic has greatly impacted the services FSS provides to its participants. Currently we have numerous families in the transitional housing program faced with the daily challenge of many Americans – how to navigate their own employment while providing education for their children all the while managing meager finances and unforeseen expenses.
Family Shelter Services is currently caring for a family that came to the transitional housing program from the emergency shelter. The mother, Megan P., had critical health issues, which landed the family of three in debt and facing eviction from the home they had lived in for more than a decade. This family has done remarkably well after being in transitional housing for just a year: They paid off all their debt, have a savings account of more than $8,000, and will soon be transitioning to their own home again. Their oldest daughter has gone to college, and they are now mentors for other residents in the transitional housing program.
FSS staff and volunteers maintain a safe environment for our residents and a new path to dignity, responsibility, and hope. Help us continue our mission of protecting and nurturing the greater Piedmont’s neediest residents, guiding them to a new chapter of personal and financial stability.