Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County

E34: Behind Every Homeless Family Is a Story You Need to Hear

• Milli M. & Autumn Sines • Episode 34

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What happens when a single sandwich sparks a nationwide movement? For over 40 years, Family Promise has been transforming the landscape of family homelessness across America, beginning with that simple meal shared between founder Karen Olson and a homeless woman named Millie.

Autumn Sines, Executive Director of Family Promise of Cobb County, takes us behind the misconceptions about homelessness with powerful revelations that will change how you view the issue. Far from the stereotype of individuals pushing shopping carts, today's homeless families often include college-educated professionals – teachers, nurses, computer programmers – who've experienced unexpected life traumas like medical emergencies, job loss, or divorce. With housing costs outpacing income growth by 10%, the financial precipice many families balance on has become increasingly precarious.

The organization's approach is brilliantly effective: families receive 90-180 days of free shelter while developing sustainable financial habits, including saving 50-85% of their income. This comprehensive support creates remarkable outcomes – 74% of families find affordable housing immediately, with 84% maintaining stable housing after one year. As Autumn eloquently states, "Sometimes you just need a little help," noting how the temporary support they provide becomes "just a little bit of a blip over a lifetime" with profound lasting impact. Through her own journey as an amputee who overcame significant challenges, Autumn embodies the resilience she nurtures in the families she serves.

Could you spare just one hour a week? That's all it takes to make a meaningful difference in the lives of families rebuilding their future. Visit fpcobb.org to discover how your time, talents, or resources can help break the cycle of homelessness in your community.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie M.

Speaker 2:

Hello everybody, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm Millie M. Are you or someone you know in need of a safe place for your family? Well, one might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, autumn Sines of Family Promise of Cobb County. Hello Autumn, how are you?

Speaker 3:

Hello, I'm doing well. Thank you for having us here today. I appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. We are so excited to hear about you and your business. Tell us more about Family Promise.

Speaker 3:

Well, family Promise actually started a little over 40 years ago in New York City. Our founder, karen Olson, shared a simple deli sandwich with a homeless woman named Millie. After that lunch, her life changed and she started Family Promise. Today, family Promise is in over 40 states with over 200 affiliates. Cobb County's affiliates started in 2014.

Speaker 3:

Our focus is to provide shelter for children and their families who are experiencing the trauma of homelessness.

Speaker 3:

Our families, when they join Family Promise, will be able to stay with us between 90 and 180 days for free, and they will start working on finding a living, wage job if they're not working one already. We will also work with them on building a budget, paying off any outstanding debts that impact their credit report. And then they start working on saving 50 to 85 percent of their income 50 to 85% of their income so when they're ready to start looking for their own homes, they will have enough money to pay all the deposits, as well as have savings in their bank accounts so that, if something happens, they can fall back on that savings and not be in the situation that they're in. Our average success rate is 74%, so 74% of families that come through our organization find affordable homes and after a year we have 84% success rate where they are still in their homes and living independently and thriving that is a wonderful program because you're not just sheltering them, you're setting them up for success for the future.

Speaker 2:

I absolutely love that. So how did you get involved with Safe Harbor? I mean Family Promise.

Speaker 3:

I have worked in nonprofit either working with a nonprofit or supporting a nonprofit for over 25 years, and I had heard that there was an opportunity for an executive director for Family Promise and just felt like this was the right place for me to be, and so I've been with the organization for a little over a year and have totally fallen in love with our mission and our families and love the fact that we're able to help families that are in desperate need of support. And you know what A little bit of help, a little bit of a stepping stone, can go so far, and I feel like the 90 to 180 days that our families are here is just a little bit of a blip over a lifetime, and if we can help them be successful.

Speaker 3:

I mean we're winning and I just love that.

Speaker 2:

And the way this country's economic system is set up. I think sometimes we fall into this snowball of poverty and you know, if you fall behind on your bills, then things are more expensive, and if things are more expensive, then you fall behind on your bills, then things are more expensive, and if things are more expensive than you fall behind on your bills, and it's this cycle. So I've had that belief as well, that sometimes people just need a help up. You know just one thing that one win that'll help secure them and they can build on that. So you guys should be very proud of the work that you do.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, go ahead. No, I just want to say it's amazing to see a family that comes in and you can tell that they're tired and they're broken down and by the end they are thriving, they're believing in themselves, they have dignity and, honest to goodness, they did it. We don't. We all we do is provide shelter and we walk through, walk with them through the program and you know, we help them build the budget, their budget, and help them find jobs. But they have to do this, Like we can stand beside them, but they have to decide to do it for them. And just when they leave, it's like it's, they're like a different, different person and it's amazing to be a part of that.

Speaker 2:

Yes, cause I I believe in energy and I believe good things, we get more good things, and so, as they continue to grow in that confidence and achieving one thing and then achieving another thing, and it just creates this whole change in mindset, I'm sure it will.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I mean, and I'd love to hear back from families that have been a part of the program for the last 10 years. And we have several families that are homebuyers and we have several families that have been in the homes that we found with them for five years, for six years, and you know, sometimes you just need a little help and they may not have the support system like everyone else and support system, and I love that.

Speaker 2:

It's beautiful. So what are some of the myths or misconceptions about your industry or what you do in particular?

Speaker 3:

Oh my word, I love this question and I'm so thankful that you've asked. You know, there's a when. When I go out and speak to people, the first, sometimes the first question I ask is I don't want to know it, but in your head, describe a homeless person.

Speaker 3:

And a lot of people think that a homeless person is someone that's pushing a shopping cart full of their belongings belongings that they're drugged up on, you know, fit and all meth, cocaine, whatever and they're out on the street corner dancing for some money or whatever dirty, stinky, dirty, stinky or whatever. Is that a portion of the homeless community? Yes, that's a very small portion of the homeless community that sells news, that brings in ratings. So when you see someone like that, usually they have made the decision to be living in their cars or a tent or in a storage facility Because there isn't any more affordable housing. It's very hard to find affordable housing now. Housing rates have gone up, rent rates have gone up over 30% over the last couple years and income has only increased 20%, so there's like this disparity.

Speaker 3:

I think that also, people don't realize. People automatically assume that the homeless individuals and families and children are living beyond the poverty level and what we're seeing is we're seeing middle-class, college-educated individuals and families who are homeless. Something traumatic has happened in their life Medical, someone's gotten sick, in their family, they lost a job. They could not find the same paying jobs. So they're working, but they're not working at the same rate that they were A death in a family, a divorce, you know you go from two to one income. That's drastic, yes, and so I think that a lot of people do not realize that homelessness does not look like what we all think homelessness is and it's, you know, it's the individuals that are sleeping in their cars and big box shopping centers, gas stations, tents and, you know, in the woods trying to be trying to take care of their families and trying to get back on their feet. So I think that, if I could get that word out, is that homeless families and individuals they're not the ones that are pushing the carts and addicted to drugs.

Speaker 2:

Might be somebody you know, might be somebody you work with. That's why having compassion is so important, because you do not know what people are going through.

Speaker 3:

Having compassion is so important because you do not know what people are going through. Yeah, last year we had a teacher that taught students in our county. We had a nurse. We had a program, a computer programmer. We had a neurologist assistant. These are individual, these are working individuals that have college educations.

Speaker 2:

Right, I'm like high paying careers.

Speaker 3:

Something has happened and you know they became homeless. Yeah, it's just a reminder.

Speaker 2:

They talk about how people you know live paycheck to paycheck. So, like you said, it just takes that one monkey wrench in your life to just set everything into a spiral. My goodness, so you talked about so many various people utilizing your service. Is there a target person that you help?

Speaker 3:

Yes, Our target, I guess clients are children Anyone a child that's below the age of 17 and their families are eligible to be a part of Family Promise of Cobb County. They have to either be experiencing homelessness or they're getting ready to get evicted, and we will be able to work with them and then. So that's one of our client base. The other one is we're always looking for volunteers. We're always looking for individuals that are interested, that want to volunteer, but they just don't know what they want to do.

Speaker 3:

We have all kinds of different volunteer opportunities from coming in and being a welcome presence in our day center, an admin person working in our office, to someone that we have transition homes and so we need people to help us upkeep those homes. So fun. If you love to do fundraising, we, you know, we're always looking for fundraisers. If you fundraising people, if you like, if your background is HR, we're looking for people to help us with our HR, our finance. There's so many different opportunities that we have that we would love, you know, volunteers to come in and learn and work with us.

Speaker 2:

Definitely. We'll keep that in mind. Anytime I hear anyone talking about volunteer and I will put the Emily Promise bug in their ear. So let's talk about outside of work. What do you do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Oh gosh, so I'm an incredible napper.

Speaker 2:

You sound like my dad. He's like listen, it's nap time.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I love me a nap, so I'm going to-.

Speaker 2:

Why do they give us that as kids and in kindergarten and then take it away like that's not fair?

Speaker 3:

so I'm an incredible napper and so I love to have a good nap on a afternoon. Um, I love to read anything from self-help to I don't know, uh, murder mysteries that aren't gory, um. So I love to read, love to paint um, just do piddly little things not great at painting and being outside and then the last thing I really like to do as well is I love to go thrifting and antiquing. I just love to like. That fills me up just as fast as a nap does sometimes.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, those are things that I like to do. You'll find some, you'll. You'll find some great little things in a, in a antique store or a thrift store, I know.

Speaker 3:

And I always take my kids along with me and they complain and then they're like, wow, I got this, I'm so excited.

Speaker 2:

You take it in Because they'll complain in the beginning, but that'll be something that they'll talk about when they get older, about their experiences, for sure. So let's switch gears a little bit. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge that you overcame and how it made you stronger?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, sure. So I was actually born without my left lower arm and so I have literally had to learn how to adjust and living in the normal world by by being an amputee. My mother always tells me that I used to always say I will do it myself. When I would try to learn how to do something when I was younger, I, you know, I was one of the first children in our little league softball little league to play softball. Coaches would figure out how to help me, you know, catch a ball, throw a ball and bat. I swam competitively in high school and so I just there's just so many things like I just did it. You know, I, if I wanted to do something and it's still today if I want to do something, I just go do it. If I run into something, I figure out how to do it.

Speaker 3:

The obstacles have mostly been just by people being mean and saying mean things. You know you have to get over that. You have to learn really fast that not everyone's going to like you and not everyone's going to be comfortable with being with you, because we're different. And once you realize that and you don't let any some anything like that or any kind of um, really anything, stop you. You know really anything. Stop you. You know the world is open to you and so when I see families coming in and they're, they're just like I can't do it, I can't do it. I always think, yeah, you can do it. We're just going to like help you get there, because I've had so many people help me and be behind me to help me be successful with being an amputee. So I feel like you know, I feel like sometimes I can't overcome everything or I can figure out another way to do it because of being an amputee.

Speaker 2:

So inspiring and so many lessons there that you know again with that right mindset you can do anything. But I love how you said I do have people to support me and I do have people who are there for me, because sometimes we feel like we have to take it on and do it all ourselves, but the people who love us and who are there for us will definitely support us as well.

Speaker 3:

Yes, and I love the fact that I can be that way. I can be a support person for the families that we, you know we help.

Speaker 2:

A support person for the families that we, you know we help. I'm very thankful that I'm able to do. That Just fills your heart to help others. Yes, Well, Ms Autumn, please tell our listeners one thing you would like for them to remember about Family Promise.

Speaker 3:

Okay. So I want everyone to remember that individuals that are experiencing the trauma of homelessness, and children experiencing the trauma of homelessness, are not lazy, they are not dirty, they are not dumb, they are not living off the system. They are individuals just like you. If you are in a restaurant, or if you're in the shopping mall, or if you're in the church, they could very well be someone right next to you or working next to you. There is nothing wrong for helping people and then volunteering 30 minutes to an hour every week to help an organization, even if it's not just Family Problems of Cobb County, but helping an organization that's out there helping our fellow you know, neighbors, goes a long, long way, and so I encourage everyone just to give an hour, that's all. Just give an hour a week and you will never know the impact that you will have on an individual, a child or a family.

Speaker 2:

Beautiful and I can't wait to come and volunteer myself and see you all. How can they, how can our listeners, find out more about Family Promise?

Speaker 3:

FPCobborg and they we have a whole section of where you can, you know, sign up and find out more information about Family Promise. So the website again is wwwfpcobborg.

Speaker 2:

Perfect. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed our conversation. Best of luck to you and your organization moving forward. See you guys soon.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, millie thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpcobbcountycom. That's gnpcobbcountycom, or call 470-470-4506.