Grant Appreciation
Greetings from Interfaith Family Shelter in Everett, Washington. We provide safe shelter and supportive services to families experiencing homelessness in our community. We are very grateful for The Back to School Children’s Clothing Grant from Zonta Club and pleased to share how your grant will have an impact for families experiencing homelessness.
A little information about our work: The Interfaith Family Shelter is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps families with children break the cycle of homelessness to achieve sustainable independence and home stability. Our five emergency shelter programs currently comprise about 45% of all available emergency shelter units for families in Snohomish County. These include:
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The Family Shelter – our primary flagship location, which can accommodate up to 11 families at any given time.
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Two scattered-site shelters: Miracle House – located in Marysville and can accommodate up to 2 families at a time and Hospitality House – located in south Everett and can accommodate up to 3 families at a time.
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Madison Family Shelter – our newest tiny-home community program, located in south Everett that can accommodate up to 8 families at a time.
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Cars to Housing – a safe-parking-and-rehousing program that can accommodate up to 5 families at a time.
We have one of the highest success rates in the county: 70% of families achieve permanent housing at the end of the program and 80% are still housed one year later. We are also one of only three shelters in the county that accepts single fathers and families with teenage sons. This allows families to stay together during an already challenging life experience.
How does your grant fit into our work? Think back to your school days and remember how starting the school year each fall was an exciting and anxious time for everyone. When a child is experiencing homelessness and financial insecurity, feeling prepared for the start of the school year can be an even tougher challenge. Families experiencing homelessness or housing instability rarely have access to new clothing and accessing critical items such as shoes and undergarments—which must be purchased new—can be a challenge. Zonta Club’s funding our Back-to-School Children’s Clothing program will allow families to purchase these needed items directly from our local Ross stores which are located near all four of our shelter locations.
Your support will have a meaningful impact—helping children start the school year feeling prepared, included, and confident. Your grant will help to ensure that basic needs do not stand in the way of success and that every child in our shelter has the opportunity to begin the school year strong.
Thank you, Zonta Club for your support!
