Preventing and Ending Family Homelessness in Clark County, WA

Family Promise of Clark County (FPCC) is requesting $10,000 from the Dudley T Dougherty Foundation to support FP Cares from January through December 2026. FP Cares is our prevention and diversion program, which helps keep families out of the emergency shelter system by providing financial assistance, community resource navigation, and trauma-informed case management.

Who We Serve: FPCC serves families with children in Clark County who are homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness. According to the 2024 Clark County Community Needs Assessment, families with children now represent more than 40% of people experiencing homelessness in our community. All of the families we serve are low-income households facing crises such as job loss, medical bills, behavioral health problems, or domestic violence that threaten their stability.

How Funds Will Be Used: Grant funds will be allocated directly to the Family Assistance Funds, serving between 4 and 10 families. Assistance is tailored to each household's circumstances. FPCC provides up to $1,000 to prevent an eviction by paying overdue rent or utilities, and up to $3,000 to cover diversion costs that allow families to quickly and safely exit homelessness before entering the shelter system. These targeted, flexible funds meet families where they are and provide the lifeline they need to achieve permanent housing and long-term stability.

Expected Results (2026): With your support, FP Cares will prevent 150 families from eviction and divert 30 families from entering Clark County's homeless response system. Families assisted through FP Cares consistently maintain housing after receiving support. In 2024, 100% of families served maintained stable housing one year after assistance. FP Cares allows caretakers to stabilize and children to grow up free from the trauma of homelessness. Over time, these outcomes help break generational cycles of poverty and build pathways to upward mobility.

How We Achieve Results: The program is led by Niccole Fuller, FPCC's Case Manager, who brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a parent who faced homelessness. Niccole holds a BA in Social Science with a focus on Case Management from Washington State University and has served with the Vancouver Housing Authority, Bridgeview Resource Center, and Self Enhancement Incorporated. Her insight and empathy help build trust with families, making it easier to identify barriers, such as limited income, transportation, childcare, or behavioral health challenges. She then connects them to solutions that fit their circumstances and goals.

FPCC's trauma-informed, person-centered case management model is central to every success we achieve. Case management begins the moment a family reaches out for help and continues well beyond housing placement. Families set their own goals, while Niccole provides coaching, accountability, and connections to community partners for employment, education, healthcare, and life-skills support. This consistent, relationship-based model empowers families to rebuild confidence, strengthen resilience, and remain stably housed long after assistance ends.

Niccole is supported by FPCC's staff, a 9-member board of directors, 19 local congregations, over 100 community partners, and more than 700 volunteers annually. This community-powered network ensures each family receives the right combination of direct assistance and long-term support, allowing FPCC to provide both immediate relief and lasting stability.

Conclusion: At FPCC, we believe no child should ever have to experience homelessness. With your partnership, we can prevent housing crises before they begin. We can protect children from the trauma of losing their home and help families build stable, self-sufficient futures. The Dudley T Dougherty Foundation's support will directly change the lives of families in Clark County and move us closer to the day when child and family homelessness no longer plagues our community.