Episode 16 | The Hidden Realities of Family Homelessness

Ep 16. Rising rents. Increasing costs of living. Families working full-time yet struggling to make ends meet. As affordability challenges continue to grow across America, more families are finding themselves just one unexpected expense, medical emergency, or job loss away from losing their housing. In this powerful episode of Passion Inspires, Jeff sits down with Family Promise National CEO Cheryl Shook to explore the hidden realities of family homelessness, the lasting impact housing instability has on children, and why the face of homelessness often looks very different than most people imagine. Cheryl shares insights from her journey leading a national organization serving nearly 200 communities, while reflecting on how Family Promise transformed its impact by shifting its messaging to focus on the "voice of the child." Together, Jeff and Cheryl discuss how empathy-driven storytelling changed Family Promise’s donor engagement and reshaped perceptions of homelessness. This conversation will challenge assumptions and shed light on one of the most urgent issues families are facing today. ______ Scott Allen Creative is a marketing agency for nonprofits, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. https://scottallencreative.com/ #ScottAllenCreative #FamilyPromise ##nonprofitleadership #Storytelling #homelessness #NonprofitMarketing #FamilyHomelessness #HousingCrisis #AffordableHousing #CostOfLiving Contents of this Video 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 01:15 – Cheryl’s transition from corporate tech to nonprofit leadership 04:20 – Becoming the first full-time employee at Family Promise West Michigan 06:10 – Why nonprofits need strong marketing & storytelling 08:45 – What Family Promise actually does & how the model works 12:10 – The challenge of rebranding from Interfaith Hospitality Network to Family Promise 15:00 – Changing the conversation around homelessness through “the voice of the child” 20:30 – How storytelling transformed donor engagement and community empathy 24:10 – The long-term impact of homelessness and toxic stress on children 28:00 – Why housing alone isn’t enough: stabilization & prevention work 32:40 – The emotional weight parents carry during housing insecurity 36:15 – Why homelessness affects more working families than people realize 41:00 – How communities can help address the housing crisis 45:20 – Cheryl’s transition to CEO of Family Promise National 48:10 – National housing trends & the growing family homelessness crisis 53:00 – Marketing, fundraising, and scaling impact nationally 58:10 – Manufactured housing & innovative affordable housing solutions 1:03:20 – What happens when an organization finally gets its messaging right 1:08:10 – The role of national branding across local affiliates 1:13:00 – Storytelling ideas, shared humanity & closing reflections 1:17:00 – Final thoughts & outro