Nonprofit brings housing help to South Sarasota County

At a time when growing numbers of couples with children are struggling to stay afloat in Sarasota County, one nonprofit has more help on the way.

Family Promise of South Sarasota County recently celebrated the ribbon cutting of its new Bridge Housing Shelter in South Venice.

The building, known as The Promise House, will soon provide temporary respite along with weekly case management for families for between 60 and 90 days.

Since the building's purchase in 2024, the property – which was formerly an assisted living facility – has been gutted and remodeled, and it now features six refurbished units.

Each bedroom-living unit in The Promise House includes its own private bathroom, entrance and washer-dryer set.

In addition, there is a community kitchen and dining space in the back of the house where all the families in the home can come together to cook and share meals, said executive director Jennifer Fagenbaum.

Fagenbaum hopes to start welcoming residents within the next few weeks, once Sarasota County permitting officials sign off on the process.

The opening coincides with the nonprofit's receipt of a $5,000 grant from the Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation to support families with children facing housing instability.

Amid an ongoing housing and affordability crisis, help can't come fast enough for thousands of local parents and children at risk of losing their homes or already sleeping in cars or on the couches of family and friends, Fagenbaum said.

"We are getting calls from families with two parents who have never had to reach out for help before," Fagenbaum said regarding Family Promise's various homelessness prevention and housing programs.

"We are serving teachers and firefighters and police officers, not just restaurant servers," Fagenbaum said.

Working families struggling to survive

Indeed, a recent report released by United Way Suncoast shows that soaring numbers of working couples with children are struggling to survive.

The amount of those households sliding below the threshold of what it takes to make ends meet shot up by 139% between 2022 and 2024, according to the study.

Meanwhile, during that same period, the survival budget for a family of four in Sarasota County climbed to $108,900, while the median household income rose only to $83,003.

In the past, households headed by married couples with children were considered more immune from financial distress compared with those led by single moms due to the possibilities of their having two incomes, according to caseworkers.

Yet often couples with kids make too much to qualify for most forms of public assistance – but not enough to afford the recent tsunami of rising expenses in housing, homeowners insurance, property taxes, rent, food, gas and utilities, experts say.

That's especially true after a single emergency – such as an illness, job change, cut work hours, a child care closure or car repair – any one of which can send a family's finances spiraling.

In the past, Family Promise helped households in acute crisis through its day shelter and by partnering with a dozen area host congregations that would take families in overnight.

But the COVID-19 pandemic changed all that, causing Family Promise to pivot to the expensive – and inefficient – alternative of housing families in hotels.

The Promise House now effectively replaces that old model for the nonprofit's Bridge Housing initiative, which is one of its three core programs.

A second one, called Open Doors, is a homeless prevention and diversion program that assists families with past-due rent or move-in costs.

And a third, Pathways Home, helps families for up to a year through rent subsidies and intensive case management.

Progress is being made - but more is needed

What's more, Family Promise has begun to provide sustainable housing through one of its 10 Parkside Cottages, which families rent for $600 a month for a one-bedroom cottage and $800 for a two-bedroom cottage.

Residents can also receive financial counseling, as well as help in reaching their educational goals so they can move into higher-paying jobs or careers.

Long-term, Family Promise is in the process of building 54 additional affordable units on 2.4 acres it owns in Venice, called Parkside Village.

But Fagenbaum said that while it's encouraging to see affordable housing efforts underway both in Manatee County and in areas near the city of Sarasota, the region is still "not even close" to fully meeting the local need for housing – and particularly in specific areas like South Sarasota County.

"We need a lot more," Fagenbaum said.

This story comes from a partnership between the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Saundra Amrhein covers the Season of Sharing campaign, along with issues surrounding housing, utilities, child care and transportation in the area. She can be reached at samrhein@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Nonprofit brings housing help to South Sarasota County

Reporting by Saundra Amrhein, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM.