Our History
The Beginning
Karen Olson was rushing to a business meeting when she passed a homeless woman on the street. On impulse, Karen bought her a sandwich. The woman, Millie, accepted the sandwich but asked for something more — a chance to be heard. Karen stayed with Millie and listened. What she heard made her understand that homelessness brought profound feelings of diminished self-worth and disconnection from society. Soon after, Karen and her two sons began delivering lunches to homeless people on the streets of New York.
When Karen learned that homelessness was affecting families right in her own community in New Jersey, she knew she had to do something. But this was much more than giving sandwiches. She brought together people in need and people who wanted to help. Existing community resources could provide shelter, meals, and housing. Volunteers could use their skills, knowledge, and compassion to help their homeless neighbors find employment, reconnect with society, and restore their dignity.
She approached the religious community. Congregations offered hospitality space within their buildings. The YMCA provided showers and a family Day Center. A car dealer discounted a van. The first interfaith hospitality network opened on October 27, 1986.
The Expansion
As word spread, more New Jersey congregations formed a second network. Other congregations were inspired to develop similar programs. In 1988, we formed the National Interfaith Hospitality Network to bring the program nationwide. In addition to shelter, meals, housing, and job-seeking support, our Affiliates began developing programs for transitional housing, childcare, and homelessness prevention. Nationally, we added programs like Just Neighbors and Family Mentoring.
Family Promise was awarded one of 21 Points of Light, out of a field of more than 4,500 nominees, by President and Barbara Bush, signifying Family Promise as one of the top volunteer agencies in the country. The award recognizes how one neighbor can help another, and calls upon the nation to take action in service to our fellow citizens.
Where We Are Now: Puget Sound
Family Promise of Puget Sound (FPOPS) is a newly expanded nonprofit organization that grew directly out of Family Promise of Pierce County (FPPC). Its history is very recent, marked by rapid growth and a significant expansion in 2025.
Family Promise of Pierce County (2023–2026)
The organization’s story begins in 2023 with the formation of the board for Family Promise of Pierce County. As a new affiliate of the national Family Promise organization, its mission was to help families with children experiencing homelessness find sustainable independence through a community-based response.
The new organization quickly established its operations:
- Founding Year: The board was formed in 2023.
- Early Support: The Bethel School District provided an initial portable building for an office and Day Center, and the Spanaway Methodist Church allowed a parsonage to be used as an overnight facility.
- Leadership: In November 2023, the board hired Steve Decker as the organization’s CEO.
- Official Launch: FPPC officially “opened its doors” and began serving families on January 2, 2024.
Throughout 2024 and early 2025, FPPC grew rapidly and demonstrated significant success. In the summer of 2024, it received a $1 million grant from Pierce County to create the county’s first centralized homeless shelter access hub. By May 2025, the organization had already helped 144 families find stable housing.
Expansion to Puget Sound (2025)
Due to the success of its model in Pierce County, the organization announced a major expansion.
- The Rebrand: In September 2025, Family Promise of Pierce County officially announced it was rebranding and “doing business as” Family Promise of Puget Sound.
- New Service Area: This change reflected a significant new initiative to expand its services beyond Pierce County into Thurston, Kitsap, Mason, and King counties.
- Funding: The expansion was supported by a new $400,000 grant from the State of Washington.
Today, as Family Promise of Puget Sound, the organization continues its mission of preventing and ending family homelessness by providing shelter, prevention, and stabilization services across a much wider region.
While the journey is long, we remain committed to our mission of helping families achieve lasting independence. We are proud of our history, but we are even more excited about the future, and the opportunity to continue making a difference in the lives of families in need.