The New Ministry team is working with Family Promise and the Salt Lake City School district to provide short-term housing to unhoused students and their families. In this case families in the Salt Lake School district experiencing homeless identified by the McKinney-Vento Congressional Act, signed into law in 1987.

The McKinney-Vento Act provides rights and services to children and youth experiencing homelessness. As some of the committee met with the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD) and toured the services provided at Highland High School, such as laundry facilities, food bank and clothing thrift shop, we learned that very temporary short-term housing (a few days) for families was currently a gap in their services and much needed. 

The New Ministry team subsequently re-introduced ourselves and possible this short-term housing gap to Family Promise, who has a new housing model and new Executive Director. They have provided assistance to the SLCSD McKinney-Vento Act families, but not formally, as it does not necessarily fit their model of longer-term housing and more comprehensive services. This conversation is in its infancy, but offers a very promising, new collaboration.

We were also encouraged to work with an offshoot of Habitat for Humanity called HomeAid. They provide building services for anti-poverty programs and may potentially help us retrofit our upstairs to provide short-term housing for McKinney-Vento families. HomeAid can cover up to 90% of the cost for the remodel servicesfor qualifying non-profit entities. The remodel at Mt Tabor could include four to six rooms upstairs one of them being a common room with a small kitchenette, one to two bathrooms with a shower and laundry facilities for two to four dormitory family housing rooms.

If this new ministry becomes a good fit for Tabor and possibly approved by HomeAid, the New Ministry Team will present the opportunity to Mt Tabor, seek council approval and ultimately congregational approval before this ministry goes forward. 

In hope for new ministry and mission,

The New Ministry team