Family Promise of Greater Savannah is preparing to launch a new initiative to tout their success in helping homeless and at-risk families out of seemingly hopeless situations and lifting them to independence.

While preserving participants’ anonymity, the new campaign, dubbed “Red Door Stories,” will tell about some families’ experiences with completing Family Promise’s program. Family Promise Executive Director Katrina Bostick wants these inspirational stories to serve as a message to others in troublesome situations that things can be turned around when a person receives adequate support, is willing to work hard and has the determination to improve their circumstances by taking advantage of available resources.

“At Family Promise, we see families come in and they’re downtrodden, sullen and hesitant. Many of them have been through a lot, and this is a last resort for them. Within days, though, we start to see a change. We equip our families with the resources they need to pull themselves up, get back out there and create a bright future. Once they realize they have what it takes and are receiving the support to make the transition possible, it’s amazing to watch our program participants begin to evolve,” Bostick said. “Their experiences and stories are moving and inspirational, and I know these accounts of real-life success through Family Promise could give another troubled family the push they need to change things.”

Family Promise is a successful national organization that helps homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence. They bring various faith communities together to help families regain their housing, their independence and their dignity. Family Promise carries out its mission in individual communities through a local Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides for homeless families as they work to get back on their feet. Family Promise is different from many other existing programs in that its goal is to fix the underlying problems that led to homelessness, rather than focusing solely on meeting basic needs.

To tell their “Red Door Stories,” Family Promise graduates will simply fill out a survey questionnaire upon their completion of the program. Through it, they’ll be able to elaborate on the process, describe their feelings throughout, and list any important or valuable lessons they’re happy to take away from the experience. Family Promise will fashion the participants’ answers into brief and compelling miniature stories that will be shared on social media, along with the signature “Red Door Stories” logo, newly created specifically for this campaign.

“We wanted to call it ‘Red Door Stories’ because sometimes, the hardest step to take is the one that brings families through our door. While ours is not a red door, the symbolism is important in this respect, as that door may seem like a big, red, challenging obstacle to a family who is out of options, hungry, scared and feeling desperate. They may not know what else to do, but the thought of reaching out and actually asking for help is an intimidating thought for many people,” Bostick said, “We want them to come on and walk through that hypothetical ‘red door,’ because there’s something great waiting for them on the other side – their independence. But first, they need to be willing to start the journey by taking that first step. We want to help families get started on their own ‘Red Door Stories!’”