A Place to Be – Day Services

Family Promise of Bristol has exciting news to share. Three years ago, Family Promise of Bristol agreed to be the 501 c3 agency to help develop a day center for the Bristol area. That dream, that plan, is became a reality through A Place to Be – Day Services at the Salvation Army which opened on July 12, 2022. Day Services are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am until 3pm in the Salvation Army building – 137 M.L.K. Jr. Blvd. Bristol, TN 37620.

Take a moment to reflect, if you are homeless in Bristol;

Where will you sleep?
Do you feel safe?
Where will you take a shower?
Where can you use the toilet?
Where will you wash your clothes?
How can you get any mail?
Who can help you get on your feet again?
Where can you get an ID?
Who can you trust?

Family Promise of Bristol (FPB) began seriously looking for a day center location in the fall of 2019. Fourteen or more locations were vetted, including Hunt Memorial UMC mission to provide services to those who are unhoused, being named Proverbs 3:27. FPB hoped to expand those services but due to zoning, we were not able to pursue. However, FPB partners in many ways and supports Proverbs 3:27, in part by providing a part time AmeriCorps worker during their open hours. Proverbs 3:27 is open on Mondays and Fridays from 9am to 3pm.

After exhausting all the identified locations, Major Gilliam at the Salvation Army agreed to partner with FPB to provide day center services at the Salvation Army, which doesn’t offer services or a place to be during the day. Major Gilliam has had previous experience with outside organizations providing programming in a Salvation Army building. We are very pleased to say that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has just been completed between the Salvation Army and Family Promise of Bristol to provide day services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm.

Day services will include: a place to be out of the weather, restrooms, showers, laundry, mail services, snacks and lunch, access to computers, mobile phone charging stations, and case management to help clients access resources and work toward being housed. In addition, partner agencies will hold hours on site to provide services, health, mental health, employment counseling, and more.

Offering these services, as well as housing resources for those who are unhoused will provide new opportunities to serve and to help transform lives.

To offer these services, Family Promise of Bristol is reaching out for support. Yes, we need funding. FPB is seeking a variety of grant funding and has been successful in getting funding from several directions, including being reinstated as a United Way agency, receiving two grants from Family Promise National, the Cities of Bristol TN and VA, the Bristol Lion’s Club, etc. Some of these are matching grants that require additional funds. Some grants are reimbursement grants which require us to have enough funding to cover expenses until a reimbursement is filed and returned, sometimes two months behind. Financial support is needed and appreciated. Individual donations, church budget allocations, special offerings, application to special funds, any of these methods of giving would be greatly welcomed.

We need volunteers. We have great staff members but not enough to fully staff the hours we plan to be open. Enrich your life with serving; volunteer duties include working with the showers, the laundry, the computers, the general room, driving a minivan to take people to appointments, and much more.

For more information about the day services or to learn more about donating or volunteering, email info@FamilyPromiseofBristol.org or call 423-528-3036.