Community Action of Laramie County Interfaith Family Support Services

The purpose of this program is to assist homeless children and their parent(s) as they work to regain independent, self-sustaining status. The first step is to provide respite from homelessness through working with Faith Communities in Cheyenne. Families are provided safe hospitality based shelter, nutritious meals, as well as volunteers who provide support. Once the families enter the program, that immediate crisis is past allowing the focus to shift to alleviating those issues that caused homelessness in the first place.

The Program Director, case manager, and parent(s) work together to develop an individualized plan, which includes employment, housing, and budgeting, allowing the family the ability to earn their way back to independence. Along the way, the families gain skills which will ensure their continued independence, and they develop supportive relationships which will serve them well in their future endeavors. Specifically, they may learn a trade such as truck driving or plumbing, and they will learn how to seek support from their connections with area schools and/or GED programs, and social service organizations, all of which may play a part in redirecting and educating families in preventative, proactive lifestyles. In addition to the employment training, families also participate in enrichment courses with a comprehensive focus on all areas within a family, especially with regard to nurturing the children. These enrichment classes include areas such as parenting classes, nutrition, and pre-school classes to foster the children’s growth and development. In short, the program’s purpose has the effect of keeping children and their families intact and safe, while building adequate resources for families to pursue their full potential.

Interfaith Family Support Services is the sole family-only shelter in Laramie County. We provide emergency shelter for homeless families with minor children. Shelter is provided through our partnership with faith based communities in Cheyenne. The faith communities allow the families to stay in their facility at night, provide nutritious meals, and volunteers interact with the children and parents. The Program Director and Case manager work with the families, helping them learn life skills to help the family regain and maintain self-sufficiency.