On October 8, 2008 the Casper Area Community Foundation (CACF), an affiliate of the Wyoming Community Foundation (WYCF) granted Family Promise of Casper $10,000 from the Richard C. and Janet S. Schneider Fund. Family Promise was pleased to submit their final report to the WYCF October 8, 2009.

 

Family Promise of Casper is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the national Family Promise. Their mission is to “rally the faith-based community to reach out to the homeless families and provide housing, shelter and food.” This is a program created to relieve the physical discomfort of homelessness but also to provide a permanent solution by addressing the underlying issues contributing to homelessness rather then institutionalizing the problem of homelessness. There are an estimated 250 homeless children in Casper, Wyoming, according to the Natrona County School District Homeless Liaison Greta Hinderliter. Although there are other services available to serve the needs of the homeless in Natrona County, the need is significant enough to require additional outreach. Family Promise of Casper says it can meet part of the need and can do so in a unique and effective way that builds and strengthens the community.

 

The goal of Family Promise of Casper is to serve an estimated 100 families annually, providing “case management” services to roughly 3 to 5 families per month, which includes connecting families with job training and job placement assistance, enrollment of children in local schools or day care programs, accessing health care services, and securing entitlements. Their goal is that at least 70% of the homeless families served obtain permanent housing.

 

The $10,000 grant from WYCF was utilized to seek out and hire a director for the organization. According the final report filed, the goal was finally achieved in September of 2009 in hiring Mr. James R. Cummings, a licensed clinical social worker with a MA in social work and 20 years of work history with human services. The WYCF grant also helped leverage additional contributions from the United Way, Wells Fargo, the Tate Foundation, the McMurry Foundation, and the Ward Family Foundation.

 

The WYCF awarded the grant as part of its competitive grant cycle and the funds came from the Schneider Fund, which was established in 1995 by Janet S. Schneider and named for her family. The Schneider Fund made 14 grants totaling $147,000.00 in 2008, of which Family Promise was one recipient. The Schneider Fund was created specifically to grant to charitable causes that provide care and support for women and children as well as the fine arts, wildlife conservation, and scientific research.

 

The Wyoming Community Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization with total assets in excess of $50.5 million. As of September 30, 2009, the Community Foundation awarded more than $2.28 million in grants to nonprofit organizations across Wyoming. The mission of the Wyoming Community Foundation is to connect people who care with causes that matter to build a better Wyoming.  

 

For more information about Family Promise of Casper, contact James R. Cummings at James70@bresnan.net or by calling 307-253-0960.

 

For more information about the Wyoming Community Foundation call 307-721-8300 or go to: www.wycf.org

 

Written by Rose J. Muller, WYCF Communications Officer and Office Manager.