Our Story
An interfaith alliance helping children and families experiencing homelessness achieve lasting self-sufficiency.
Family Promise Salt Lake was founded in 1995 and is one of over 200 Family Promise affiliates across the country, but the first such program in Utah.
To help combat homelessness, Family Promise Salt Lake has various congregations take turns opening their doors and providing temporary shelter to 4 families at a time using a rotation network. This unique shelter model mobilizes existing resources within the faith community to take a hands-on approach to homelessness.
We’re happy to say that, since 1995, we’ve served 800 families over more than 300,000 volunteer hours!
Hope for Families Experiencing Homelessness
Our History
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1995
Rev. Roger Anderson, and Vicki & Bob Neumann of Our Saviour Lutheran founded the Salt Lake Interfaith Hospitality Network affiliate, which would later become Family Promise Salt Lake.
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1997
Salt Lake IHN opened its doors with just 8 hosting congregations and purchased the "Blue House" at 802 W 800 S, SLC as a Day Center. Bob and other volunteers helped with staffing and operations, and Good Shepherd Lutheran donated a van to the cause.
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2001
Salt Lake IHN held the first "Abundance of the Heart," fundraiser, and purchased the building at 814 W 800 S, SLC.
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2002
Salt Lake IHN remodeled the new building, which was a deli, into a SLIHN "Learning Center/Day Care." The building also featured a laundromat and 3 apartment units.
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2007
After a few years of setbacks, successes, and leadership changes, we officially changed our name to Family Promise Salt Lake. That year we also hosted Governor Huntsman and Pamela Atkinson for the Pamela Atkinson Housing Trust Fund kick-off event of 2007.
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2010
We remodeled laundromat and offices to expand both the Day Center space and the offices. The 3 apartment units above the Day Center were transitioned into an "Affordable Housing" program for former guest families.
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2013
The Promise House duplex was purchased by a private donor for Family Promise Salt Lake to operate, thus increasing the Affordable Housing Program to 5 units.
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2015
Celebrated Family Promise Salt Lake's 20th anniversary, and received a Declaration of "Recognition of Service" from the Governor.
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2016
Under the leadership of Tony Milner, Family Promise Salt Lake continued to partner with local homeless planning groups, and increase congregational, government and private support of Family Promise Salt Lake’s programs. Family Promise Salt Lake partners with over 45 communities of faith (13 of which are hosting congregations). Tony Milner stepped down to take a position in another organization in Spring 2016. Dawn Hoffman took over as the Volunteer Executive Director as the Board searched for the correct replacement for Executive Director.
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2017
JD Donnelly was hired in early 2017 as the Executive Director. In addition to JD being hired, Mckinley Goreham, Case Manager and Samantha Almanza, Program Manager joined the Family Promise Salt Lake team. The Transitional Housing Program/Units were adjusted to include more Case Management and focus on setting families up for a successful move to traditional long term housing. Security National Mortgage made a donation to acquire the Security National Promise House duplex increasing the transitional housing units from 5 to 7 apartments in July. The red brick house next to the Day Center was acquired in December, further increasing transitional housing units available to 8.
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2018
Alyssa York, Program Manager and Brikel Weeks, Case Manager joined the Family Promise Salt Lake team. A mobile home unit was acquired in June piloting the national Partners in Housing program. This acquisition increased the Family Promise Housing units to 9. In October, a 2017 Ford Van was donated to Family Promise Salt Lake for transportation of the families to and from the church and day center.
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2021
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Family Promise Salt Lake hired Rev. Brian Diggs, longtime supporter of FPSL, to re-tool the organization. Rev. Diggs was the only full-time staff person from March through November of 2021. Since then, funding sources have increased significantly, and new staff have been hired. The post pandemic Family Promise Emergency Shelter Program is scheduled resume in the fall of 2022.