Apr 21, 2013 3 min read

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Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania is affiliated with more than 180 interfaith hospitality networks nationwide. Family Promise provides shelter, meals and intensive case management for families without homes by partnering with local churches, social service organizations, professional staff and hundreds of volunteers. Family Promise of SWPA has two family day centers, one in Washington and one in Crafton. Here, Laura Vincenti, left, executive director of Family Promise SWPA, and Marlene Day, Washington program coordinator, stand outside the Washington day center on East Beau Street.

Jon Stevens / Observer-Reporter

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Abigail Guyton, 3

Photo courtesy of Family Promise

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Jonah Guyton holds his baby brother, Elisha.

Photo courtesy of Family Promise

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Chrissy Guyton with son Elisha

Photo Courtesy of Family Promise

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Chrissy Guyton never pictured herself being evicted with two young children and another on the way. But that’s what happened to her in September 2011.

Chrissy was married, working as a successful telemarketer in West Virginia. Her husband, Jason, was a welder. Both were good at their jobs and had years of experience under their belts. When Chrissy worked, the children were in state-subsidized day care. When the economy slowed, the Department of Health and Human Services stopped taking applications for day care. One attempt at working and paying for day care herself proved to be a negative expense.

Chrissy and Jason each have children from previous marriages. Their monthly child support payments were $700. Jason was told by a Pennsylvania company that it had a better paying position for him, so the young family moved to Uniontown, then eventually to Brownsville. Their optimism faded when Jason discovered that his new job paid less than the one he left in West Virginia. The employer had lied.

Soon, Jason fell behind in his child support payments, and he landed in jail. Chrissy, seven months’ pregnant, and 3-year-old Abigail and 1?1/2-year-old Jonah, were evicted for not paying rent. Their landlord called shelters and agencies on their behalf, and he also offered to store their belongings in his garage until they got on their feet.

The landlord found the number for Family Promise and gave it to Chrissy. She and her children were “guests” in Washington for nearly seven months, far longer than usual. With a baby due in two months, Chrissy needed shelter for more than the maximum stay of 60 days. She was grateful.

Her baby boy, Elisha, was born while they were Family Promise guests.

“Family Promise never judged me about my situation,” Chrissy said. “They welcomed us with open arms. The staff was understanding, and they helped us apply for assistance, get medical cards and food stamps. I couldn’t look for a job being so close to delivering. But the staff made sure I got to my prenatal appointments, and the kids’ doctor visits, too.”

Chrissy did what was asked of her, and it didn’t take her long to figure out that Family Promise helps those who help themselves. She didn’t expect a handout; she simply found herself in a dangerous, unfamiliar place: a pregnant mother of two young children with no place to stay.

Being in the Family Promise network was, at times, challenging. But Chrissy said there were many things she loved about the program. “The folks from the churches we stayed at were amazing. They were so warm and nice, and they made sure my kids had great birthdays and a Christmas they always will remember,” she said.

When Jason was reunited with his family, he found a good job as a welder, and they moved into a townhouse in Morgantown, W.Va.

Chrissy learned a lot of things while in the program. She and her daughter, Abigail, took a keen interest in sign language when a teacher came to the Washington Family House to work with a hearing-impaired child. They both picked it up, and Chrissy is now teaching her children sign language.

“Once my kids are all in school, I hope to work as a translator for the hearing impaired,” she said.

And that’s a promise.