Transforming Lives Through Family Stability

For over a decade, the Siemer Institute has been dedicated to assisting families across the United States, focusing on education, income, and housing stability.

About Us
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We Strive to Help Families & Communities

When children are forced to make unplanned moves and switch schools, it has a detrimental long-term effect on their social-emotional outcomes and educational performance. The Siemer Institute recognizes this and helps families remain in their homes so children can continue attending their schools. By providing funding and tools to our community partners, we strive for collective outcomes that benefit families and communities.

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67%

Families Who Increased Their Income in 2023

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76%

Families Who Obtained or Maintained Stable Housing in 2023

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96%

Families Without a Disruptive School Move in 2023

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Community Highlight

Milwaukee
Community Advocates, where meeting basic human needs inspires hope. With funding through The Siemer Institute, Danella and her family found housing security in her moment of need.
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“The rental assistance was the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to me, other than giving birth to my children.”

Treasure Valley
Jesse Tree prevents homelessness by providing emergency rental assistance and eviction mediation to help Idahoans stay in their homes. After joining the Siemer Institute network in 2022, the organization trained employees to become eviction court mediators in order to support people facing eviction through the court process.
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“By working together within our community and the Siemer Institute network, we are coming up with creative solutions to help families achieve housing stability.”

Atlanta
Jessica and her husband struggled to keep a roof over their heads and their children safe. Through her child’s school, Jessica connected to Family Stability Initiative Program (also known as Kids Home Initiative) and began receiving the support and guidance she needed.
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“I really didn’t think there were people to help people like me.”

Atlanta
Through SPARC, Curtrena and her sons received supportive services just in time for Christmas.
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“A whole community I didn’t know I had showed up for me, and they have helped me to love life again.”

Denver
A family receives much-needed support from an organization that truly wants to see them succeed.
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“The most important thing for someone who’s grown up in the child welfare system is having a home, and this voucher gave us that.”

St. Louis
A deserving family are now living in safe, affordable housing with support from the Beyond Housing Resource Center.
Treasure Valley
Jesse Tree was able to intervene for a family in crisis, keeping them in their home.
Long Island
Siemer Institute's partnership with Housing Help helps a family find comfortable housing to welcome their newest family member.
Phoenix
Through Chicanos Por La Causa and the Siemer Institute, Ms. Shelton found affordable housing in her childrens' home school district.
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“I never felt judged, I always felt like he would do his best to lead to whatever relevant resource and individuals I could utilize.”

Phoenix
The Mighty Families program and Chicanos Por La Causa was able to assist a family find suitable housing for a family of seven, including household essentials!​
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“Thank you, Chicanos Por La Causa, for giving us back our belief that there are still great places with wonderful people who are willing to help families in need.”

Des Moines
"My success story is not over; I have only just begun.”
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"They were understanding about my situation.”
Jacksonville
A wife and mother of two is partnered with financial and career coaches, leading to higher education and a better life for her family.
Memphis
United Way of the Mid-South is Driving The Dream, partnering to help people establish and follow a path out of poverty. With funding from the Siemer Institute, United Way and Knowledge Quest are helping Tonya find her pathway.
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“FSI has taught me how to smile again!”

Cincinnati
United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Stable Families Program is a multi-generational program that addresses the needs of families on the edge of homelessness. The program ensures that families stay in their homes and children stay in school.
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“Jeremiah is now writing his first name and has identified his numbers 1-10.”

Kansas City
Crystal is a single mother with five children who has contended with the effects of poverty and domestic violence for a long time. She entered the Family Stability Initiative as a referral from the local school district in Independence Missouri (just east of Kansas City).
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“It has been an incredible year of change for me and my family. I now get to work at a job I love, making great money and having insurance, after 7 years of being without!”

Louisville
When a family is supported in addressing ALL of their needs, amazing changes are possible! Rebecca and her family got the help they needed to overcome addiction, gain steady employment, improve their educational environment, and secure their own home.
Orlando
Building Strong Families was able to find an affordable apartment for the Davis family while assisting with deposits on an apartment and utilities.
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“This program is an opportunity to move forward”

Bay Area
United Way Bay Area creates new opportunities for low-income families through its SparkPoint Initiative. SparkPoint empowers families to gain financial and housing stability. Barbara Siemer, founder of the Siemer Institute visited UWBA and spoke with SparkPoint participants to learn more about this innovative program.
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“SparkPoint has been an intentional way to bridge financial stability and affordable housing.”

Irvine
When Deysi first came to SparkPoint OC at Salk Elementary School, she and her 4 children had been homeless for two weeks, staying in motels or on the streets. She wasn’t working, didn’t have transportation and was unsure what she could do to improve her situation.
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“Not only did I benefit from SparkPoint, but so did my children.”

Nashville
There are times when Rickcale Peoples feels like she’s dreaming. Her current living situation is very different from her previous one.
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“I became homeless when I decided I was tired of being in an abusive relationship.”

New Partners!

We are pleased to announce the addition of new partners that joined our SIFS network this year.
  • YMCA of Greater Houston, TX
  • YMCA of Greater Long Beach, CA
  • Central Connecticut Coast YMCA
  • YMCA of Southern Maine
  • YMCA of Greater Richmond, VA
  • Trident United Way, Charleston, SC
  • Heart of Michigan United Way, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Columbus, OH
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Springfield, OH

The Why

Over 1.1 million school-age children face housing instability, which can be a distressing experience. When children change residence unexpectedly, they often grapple with stress, trauma, and academic disruptions that can impede their school performance. At The Siemer Institute, we are dedicated to preventing unplanned moves and school instability through our multifaceted approach. This includes providing grant funding, conducting research grounded in best practices, and offering training to our partners in over 50 communities nationwide.

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1.1 million

school-age children face homelessness every year

87%

Student experiencing homelessness are 87% more likely to drop out of school than their stably-housed peers.

1 in 30

At least one in thirty adolescents aged 13-17 experience homelessness with their parents.

Our Programs

With a stable home, families thrive and students succeed academically. Our partners help families move from crisis to stability by providing financial assistance, eviction prevention, budget coaching, job training, and support for the entire family. All are locally designed and managed to leverage community resources and address community needs as effectively as possible.

Explore Our Programs
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Since the inception of our Family Stability program, we’ve collaborated with our partners to support over 130,000 families and more than 281,000 children. Our programs are crafted to enhance stability in housing, income, and education. Committed to a holistic approach, commonly known as “2Gen,” we prioritize enhancing the well-being of both parents and children simultaneously. Every day, we are moved by the stories our community partners share, underscoring the positive transformations they’ve facilitated within families through our impactful 2Gen approach.

 

  • 43,133
    Children Stable in School
  • 19,230
    Families Obtained Stable Housing
  • 100,000
    Families and children impacted through Siemer Institute Advocacy Grants
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Our Community

We are proud to have 74 Funded partners and over 150 service providers in 39 states and growing, all working diligently to provide essential services to community members in need. These partners employ diverse methods, tailoring their approach to best serve the distinct needs of their local community. At the heart of our efforts lies the 2Gen approach, addressing the needs of both children and parents (or caregivers) simultaneously. Regardless of the methods used, our shared objectives remain consistent: preserving children’s continuity in their current schools, ensuring parents maintain financial stability, and securing stable housing for families.

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Siemer Institute 2024 Summit

Welcome to the 2024 Siemer Institute Summit! Our funded partners and service providers will join us in Columbus, Ohio, for an extraordinary gathering focused on igniting change through family stability initiatives. Featuring keynote speaker Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Evicted,” this summit offers tailored breakout sessions and networking opportunities to drive positive change.

Thank you to our generous sponsors and our co-sponsor, United Way of Central Ohio, for making this event possible!

Our Vision

Thriving children. Strengthened families. Connected communities. These are the unwavering goals to which the Siemer Institute has been dedicated to since its establishment in 2011. In collaboration with our valued community partners and service providers, we champion a two-generation (2Gen) approach to ensure housing stability, school stability, family stability, and prevent unplanned moves. Our 2Gen approach acknowledges that children’s needs are intricately linked with those of their parent(s) or caregiver(s). Therefore, we wholeheartedly support the entire family unit, working towards creating an enduring legacy of educational and economic success that spans generations.

More About Us
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Explore

Interested in learning more about the kind of difference the Siemer Institute can make? Explore our annual reports for a close look at our impact in communities.

Our Reports
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