Family Assistance Ministries

The mission of Family Assistance Ministries (FAM) is to assist those in need in Orange County with resources for food, shelter, and personalized supportive counsel and aid, helping clients bridge the gap from dependency to self-sufficiency.

FAM was established in 1999 when founder Ellen Gilchrist responded to the lack of services available in southern Orange County. FAM's first client was provided rental assistance and financial counsel to prevent eviction. By the second month, this person became self-sufficient. FAM has provided a growing continuum of services in response to the changing needs of those at-risk in our community. All people seeking help at FAM receive case management, financial counsel, and nutritious food options. Last year FAM had over 135,760 encounters with people in need and distributed over 2.3 million meals to hungry people. FAM also operates a full housing continuum to help those at risk of becoming homeless. Through rental assistance, FAM helps those who are at immediate risk of homelessness remain housed. Gilchrist House, FAM's interim/transitional shelter for single homeless women and homeless mothers with children opened in 2003. FAMily House opened in March of 2017 and serves dual parent households, single mothers, single fathers, and pregnant women. It is the only short-term shelter in southern Orange County that includes fathers. Through Permanent Supportive Housing, FAM serves clients with long-term housing needs. All housing program clients receive wraparound services to ensure they remain stably housed. FAM was named Capistrano Unified School District's agency for its McKinney-Vento program to help homeless children and their families. FAM enjoys strong community support, collaborating with over 400 partner organizations to provide a strong safety net for those most at risk of homelessness. FAM was named California Nonprofit of the Year in 2021 by State Senator Pat Bates and the California Association of Nonprofits, Best Local Nonprofit in San Clemente and an Outstanding Partner Agency with the Orange County United Way. We also received Guide Star's Silver Seal of Transparency and rated a 4-Star Charity standing with Charity Navigators.

In the 2023 fiscal year:
FAM's FAMily House, southern Orange County’s only emergency family shelter for homeless families with children, assists single moms, single dads, dual-parent households, and pregnant women. From inception, FAMily House has served 685 people! FAM operates satellites in Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, and San Juan Capistrano. These locations allow low-income clients to access services closer to their homes.  Through our Homeless Prevention and Hunger Relief programs, FAM had over 112,000 encounters with hungry adults, children, and seniors. All were provided with nutritious food options. In total, over 2.3 million pounds of food was distributed last year to hungry community members.  FAM served as the south Orange County provider of case management services for Project Roomkey, a hotel/motel program that provided critical, temporary housing and support for unhoused in the County, and became the designated housing provider for Mission Hospital's Community Health Enrichment Collaborative (CHEC) Family Resource Center.
Goals included: To help people who are homeless or at immediate risk of becoming homeless regain housing stability.  Continue working with the Family Solutions Collaborative, which FAM and 5 partner agencies founded and now is 23 agencies strong representing full geographic coverage of Orange County, with the goal of ending family homelessness in the county.

General Funds: Unrestricted funds allow FAM to maintain flexibility to meet the most critical needs of clients as they arise and support necessary costs needed to run a non-profit.

Housing funds: Our housing programs help homeless individuals and families return to housing as quickly as possible.
In-Kind: Donations of gift cards, toiletries and diapers are provided to clients, allowing them to redirect the funds they would have spent on these necessities towards other expenses, including rent, utilities, and medical bills.
Food: FAM requests donations of food and grocery gift cards to supplement what we receive through weekly fresh rescues of near-expiration date food from grocery store partners.
Volunteers: FAM relies on volunteers to support all areas of our operations. 2,123 volunteers provided over 40,598 hours of service last year!

FAM serves all of Orange County, with a special emphasis on South Orange County.
 

“Family Assistance Ministries provides solutions to those experiencing food and housing crisis. We are a dedicated group of staff, volunteers, board members and donors with a shared goal to improve our community. We believe in proven practices and evaluation of our programs to ensure we are making the biggest impact. Together we can transform our community.”