Last year Jenn and I found ourselves in the most humiliating situation - we lost everything. Our business, our home, our hope, our dignity and to top it all off we just gave birth to our first child.
I was in recovery for alcoholism and mental health issues so I couldn’t hold down even the most basic of jobs which lead to our eviction. That’s when we reached out to the people at Family Promise. Our experience there was so amazing. Tonia, was almost like this guardian angel that treated us so well. Her big smile, positive attitude, and friendship completely restored our hope. She’s one of those people that you‘ll never forget because she was there for you in every capacity when you needed her - we all have those type of people peppering our journey throughout life and Tonia is ours. 45 days after entering Family Promise, we received the best Christmas present ever - a home. Paul, one of the night time staff, even bought us a Christmas tree with his own money. Family Promise also helped get us connected to the resources we needed to get back on track. Beyond what they did for us and the people that were in the house with us at that time, I got to see a very different part of humanity which forever changed how I viewed the world and the Delaware community. I got to see a group of churches and people dedicated to taking care of their own with love and compassion. It completely blew my mind, and from that point on, I knew I wanted to be apart of this organization in some capacity - when I was able to. That opportunity came a few months ago when Gwyn invited me to serve on the board and that lead me to be able to lend my talents and skills for building websites and marketing to help create this newsletter and revamp the website. I also saw a tremendous need to support the exiting members of Family Promise. Securing stable housing is the very start of a very long road for financial, spiritual, emotional, and substance abuse recovery. The program we’re introducing in 2020 called “beyond the promise” helps families like mine get back on their feet and out of the poverty cycle by supporting them through their journey. Helping us re-connect with the community to become proud, dignified citizens once again. Instead of this moment defining who we are and living in an identity of pain, shame, and humiliation, this moment can simply be a part of our journey as productive citizens. Family Promise showed us the pathway out with their love, friendship, humor, and actions.
- Randy Robert, Board Member and Former Resident
