Families Moving Forward News

Through our partnership with Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, the Families Moving Forward (FMF) shelter program has been an important part of Christ the King's work in the community for many years. We are so grateful for the many volunteers who have supported and sustained this program for years. Clearly, supporting FMF through time, energy, and faithful generosity has been a way our CTK community has lived out our values and supported our neighbors experiencing homelessness. FMF has been one of the primary ways we as a congregation participated in the Beacon collaborative. However, we have been living with a level of uncertainty around the future of FMF, both in the Hennepin program which closed early in the pandemic, and in Scott and Carver counties which has shifted to hosting families in hotels rather than in congregations. 

Beacon has recently announced the decision to transition FMF to His House Foundation-Abundance (HHF), a new provider that will take over by July 1, 2023. The FMF program has been an essential community service for families experiencing homelessness, and the success and stability of current and future families participating in the program was a top priority in deciding to transition the program. Beacon believes that HHF is a great option to support families and meet community needs, and it has confidence in HHF's ability to provide quality care for families. The success of the FMF program has been built on intensive case management, small caseloads, individualized goal plans, and linkage to permanent housing, and HHF has agreed to continue with this approach for at least one year as it assesses how to best provide ongoing services. The transition represents a shift for Beacon away from direct service delivery, allowing the organization to direct its focus and resources toward affordable housing development, sustaining supportive housing services, and impacting public policy to ensure everyone has a home.  

Christ the King has long served as a host site for Families Moving Forward, housing and feeding families multiple times throughout the year in our building. Since the pandemic we have continued supporting this program by providing meals to families housed in hotels, even as the program transitioned out of our county. In June, we will provide meals for the last time. With the permanent transition of this program out of our area, we will be reassessing and seeking out new ways to provide direct service and hospitality to our neighbors in times of need.