Executive Director Tom Miller

Family Promise of Midland is now open, becoming our 12th network in the Lone Star State. Efforts began in 2009 when Alissa Shutts, who was working with children at risk, connected with Don Kiser, a Family Promise associate and board member in Longview. The need was clear: 197 children in the Midland school district were identified as homeless in 2008 and all service providers in Midland have seen increases in demand in the intervening years.

FP Midland opens with 13 host congregations and a 2,400 square foot house for a day center which was donated by a local non-profit. Their director is Tom Miller, a retired principal for a Title I school. Network leaders have worked closely with their sister city network in Odessa, as well as visiting Affiliates in Austin and Lubbock. They have raised money through local congregations, donors and foundations, and even created a puppet show to educate the community on the issues.

The first host was Grace Lutheran, the community meeting site, and they opened their doors to their first family on Valentine’s Day. The initial family is a young, single mom of a five and a three year old, who is expecting her third child next month. She left her children with family while she attended a job-training program in New Mexico, but they were forced to move out due to overcrowding upon her return. Wanting to keep her family together, she turned to Family Promise.

Welcome, Midland!