Family Promise Celebrates 25th Anniversary in Fight to End Family Homelessness

HUD SE Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. addresses conference attendees

The Family Promise (http://familypromise.org/) Conference convened May 3-5 in Atlanta in celebration of its twenty-fifth anniversary as a national organization fighting family homelessness. Over 350 members met from over 180 affiliates nation-wide to commemorate the occasion and participate in workshops. The conference theme, "Sharing Our Dream, Keeping Our Promise," (http://familypromise.org/12th-national-conference) reflected twenty five years of dedicated service in ending homelessness through working with local communities and leaders.

The conference kicked off with the featured keynote speaker Mr. Andrew Young (www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1395&sug=y), former Atlanta mayor, congressman and Ambassador to the UN, and historical figure of the Civil Rights Movement. HUD SE Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. also spoke at the conference as one of the distinguished speakers and provided an update on HUD's ongoing efforts to end homelessness and the Dedicating Opportunities to End Homelessness initiative.

The three-day gathering included workshops and sessions aimed at Family Promise staff, board members and volunteers. Presenters included staff, affiliate leaders and experts from across the country.

Family Promise is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence. The organization is based in Summit, New Jersey, where it began work in 1988, founded on the belief that Americans are compassionate people who want to make a difference. Today the organization consists of 182 affiliates in 41 states, with more in development. The programs engage more than 160,000 volunteers and provide assistance to more than 50,000 family members annually.

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