Good Business.
Good Neighbors.
Right now, 886 children in Olmsted County are experiencing homelessness — three times the number of single adults. Family homelessness is more common than most people realize, and it's happening in the community your business is part of.
Helping families isn't usually filed under "business strategy." But a company that shows up for its community gets something back: employees proud of where they work, a stronger place to do business, and a hand in solving a real problem right outside the door. You've got resources, people, expertise, and services — and there's a version of this partnership that fits whatever you can give.
Ways to Partner
Fund the work
The most direct way to help is also the simplest. Make a one-time or recurring gift, sponsor The Homecoming (our annual fall fundraiser), or fund a specific program. To put it in scale: $300 shelters a family for a week. $1,300 keeps a family housed and out of shelter altogether.
Rally your team
Run a donation drive for the supplies families need most, or organize a group service project. It's a way to get your people involved in something concrete together — and a low-lift entry point before a bigger commitment. (Anything involving direct contact with families is coordinated with our staff, sometimes with brief training, so that we can protect the privacy and safety families count on.)
Share your expertise — Promise Group presentations
Twice a month, adults staying at Promise House gather for Promise Groups — sessions on the practical skills that help families get and stay stable. If your team has relevant expertise — budgeting, banking, health, career, anything that helps an adult rebuilding their life — you can lead one. We'll handle the coordination; you bring what you know.
Offer your services — in-kind
Some of the most meaningful support is the kind that restores a little normalcy. A haircut before a job interview. A manicure that makes someone feel human again. A summer camp spot so a kid gets to just be a kid for a week. If your business offers a service, there's likely a family it would mean the world to.
Start With a Lunch + Learn
Not sure where to begin? Start with a conversation.
Give us a room and your team's lunch hour, and we'll bring lunch and a short presentation on our work and the scale of family homelessness right here in Olmsted County. No ask, no pressure — just a clear picture of what's happening in your community and where a business like yours can fit.
It's the easiest first step we offer, and it's free.
Let's Figure Out the Right Fit
Public recognition as a Family Promise Rochester partner. Employees who feel good about where they work and why. And a real, measurable hand in keeping local families together. We'll work with you to find the partnership that fits your company — not a template.
Reach out to Susan Haskamp, shaskamp@fprochestermn.org, our Development Director, and she'll help you find the partnership that works for your company.
Here on your own?
You don't need a whole organization to make a difference. You can volunteer, give, shop our wish list, or send encouragement to Promise House families.