Our Mission
Family Promise of Athens (formerly the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, Inc.) is a non-profit organization committed to providing housing supports to families with children who are facing or experiencing the crisis of homelessness.
Our Programs
Prevention. We assist families who are at risk of becoming homeless by providing rental and utility assistance, case management, landlord mediation, and referrals to community partners.
Diversion. When our shelter program is full, we work to still provide assistance to homeless families seeking shelter to divert them from shelter. This program includes case management and resources to help with things such as security deposits for an apartment, new tires to help a parent get to work, or moving costs.
Shelter. Once accepted into our shelter program, Family Promise of Athens provides food, shelter, childcare, transportation, case management, and other resources each family may need using our vast network of congregational hosts and volunteers. With their basic needs provided in a caring and safe environment, our families are able to recover balance and through case management achieve sustainable independence. We work with community partners to assist families in locating housing, addressing financial concerns, and gaining sustainable employment.
Stabilization. Our main goal is to help families reach sustainability so they will never be homeless again. Case management is provided up to two years after families become stably housed. We continue to provide resources to families to support them as they move towards stability.
Our History
Founded in 2004, community members from 25 congregations came together to offer their facilities and volunteers to shelter families with children experiencing homelessness. Known as the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, the organization provided rotational shelter for three families at a time through a network of over 30 congregations. As an affiliate of a larger network of families across the country, IHNA changed its name to Family Promise Athens in 2019 to align with the national name change. FPA has continued the shelter program since the founding, but has also expanded services to meet the different needs of families in the Athens community. Since 2020, our organization has expanded our programming to help families that are at-risk of eviction to homeless to stably housed. We believe that this more comprehensive approach allows for us to better serve the variety of needs that exist in our community.
Staff
Madison Sanders
executive Director
Madison joined Family Promise of Athens as Service Director while completing her Master’s of Social Work and certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the University of Georgia (2021). She was selected to be the Interim Executive Director in the fall of 2021 and quickly was appointed Executive Director.
A Georgia native, Madison grew up in Marietta and received a B.A. degree in Economics with minors in Education Policy and Poverty Studies from Washington and Lee University. Prior to moving back to Georgia, Madison worked in Washington, DC in the fields of poverty and early childhood research and policy. Madison also has experience in case management, family therapy, evaluation, training, and grant writing. She has always been passionate about creating opportunities for families to thrive and loves using her time and talents to support families in Athens.
Clyde Whitworth
Chief Impact Officer
Clyde joined Family Promise of Athens in December of 2021 as the Chief Impact Officer. He comes to the team with a background and experience in both the business and the non-profit world. Clyde has a combined 25 plus years in the business world as the CFO of a real estate development company in Atlanta, as a commercial lender with the BB&T and PNC banks, and as a small business consultant. He also has 15 plus years as a full-time minister in churches in Atlanta and New York City as well as serving on the Board of Directors for a non-profit in Patterson, NJ and an adoption agency in Atlanta.
Clyde earned his bachelor’s degree (BS) in accounting from Lipscomb University Nashville, TN which he attended on a basketball scholarship.
Tenaja English
Shelter coordinator
Tenaja joined Family Promise of Athens as a Case Manager in 2022. Tenaja has an extensive background in case management where she started as a Case Manager in 2013 at a Nonprofit agency in south Georgia. Recently she worked for the Department of Family Children Services as a case manager for 2 years. Tenaja also has a history in mental health therapy with adults and adolescents.
Tenaja earned her bachelor's degree in Social Work from Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Ga. In May of 2021, Tenaja earned her Master's Degree in Social Work at Valdosta State University.
Hannah Dolan
Prevention coordinator
Hannah Blair joined Family Promise of Athens as the Prevention Coordinator in the fall of 2022. Having decided to stay in Athens after graduating with a Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Georgia, she has continued to pursue working alongside families. Most recently, she was a Behavioral Aide with Project Family, and worked as the local director of Athens PBJ, a nonprofit working to bridge the gap between those experiencing homelessness and not.
Board of Directors
Class of 2025
Duane Bernt (President)
Chief Financial Officer
Stadion Money Management
Harry Shuford (Treasurer & Interim Bookkeeper)
Retired Banker
Stacie Carson
Principal
Stroud Elementary School
Tammy Gilland
Executive Director of Philanthropy
Piedmont Athens Regional
Eric Linder
Rabbi
Congregation Children of Israel
Tom Rodgers
Retired
UGA Faculty & State 4-H Director
Class of 2024
Rachele Gibson (Vice-President)
Special Assistant Attorney General
Div. of Family & Children Services
Weyman Johnson
Retired Attorney
Don Nelson (Secretary)
Retired Journalist
Athens Banner-Herald
Ally Simmons
Assistant Project Director - IOTIS
Realtor - Greater Atlanta Properties
Callie Waller
Realtor
CJ&L Real Estate
Class of 2023
Emily Harbin
Minister
First Baptist Church, Athens
Angela Pope
Lead Social Worker
Clarke County School District