By Emma Maple, FāVS News
Family Promise of the Palouse, a homeless organization focused on families, moved its operations into a former Washington State University fraternity house.
The new location is cheaper and has allowed the organization to expand its operation, executive director Autumn Schafer said.
“Being here, we have literally doubled our capacity to shelter families,” Schafer said. “That’s totally worth it.”
Once home to a fraternity, now a house for families in need
The house, which used to serve the Theta Chi fraternity, is 10,000 square feet, has 35 rooms and could house up to 65 people. For the most part, it will provide office space for Family Promise of the Palouse’s (FPP’s) five employees and day space for FPP’s clients. At night, the families will rotate through 10 different local churches.
At first, Schafer said the organization was not going to allow families to stay in the frat house overnight. However, with an abundance of extra space and a waiting list that tripled over the summer, Schafer decided the frat house could serve as an overnight space for families who are working on their last step of finding housing.
These families have found both employment and stable childcare, she added. No volunteers or staff stay in the frat house overnight, so Schafer said it’s a “different trust level.”
However, with temperatures almost in the triple digits, she said that need trumps prior policy. At the moment, FPP has three families staying in the frat house overnight, opening up space in the church for other families.
Challenges along the way
The frat house is at the top of Greek Row in between C and B Streets. Most of the students are gone for summer, but Schafer said she expects it to get quite loud once school resumes in the fall.
FPP moved into the building on April 7. At first, Schafer said there seemed to be a little bit of student frustration surrounding the fact that the space was being repurposed. To avoid any kind of association, FPP removed the Theta Chi emblems and painted over them.
“We didn’t cause them to leave here,” Schafer said, referring to Theta Chi. “We just needed a space. We’re happy to be able to utilize it and have someone in the home and taking care it for them until they can move back in.”
WSU announced in January 2024that it would no longer recognize Theta Chi, as the fraternity did not complete its relationship agreement with the school. It also was facing pending charges.
Theta Chi can undergo a re-recognition process, NBC reported, but WSU said it would only entertain the idea if the fraternity was in good standing.
Until then, Schafer said FPP plans to remain in the building.
FPP is renting the frat house from a WSU alumni at a discounted price of $2,700 a month, not including utilities. That would be about the same cost as a five- or six-bedroom house, Schafer said, which would have been a squeeze.
There are almost 200 Family Promise affiliates located in over 40 states, according to the Family Promise website. FPP serves families in Latah and Whitman Counties.
Each Family Promise affiliate houses its day shelter in a location that is cost-effective, such as churches or former schools, Schafer said. FPP is the only affiliate located in a frat house, as far as Schafer knows.
FPP appears to be one of only two homeless organizations in Washington who are utilizing former frat houses. In 2019, ROOTS Young Adult Shelter purchased a former frat house near the University of Washington.
This story was written in partnership with FāVS News, a nonprofit newsroom covering faith and values in the Inland Northwest.
Did You Enjoy This Story?
Stay informed with the top stories from NWPB journalists, delivered straight to your inbox every week. Sign up for our weekly news roundup and never miss a headline.
Get NWPB News