Homelessness Advocate Joins Nonprofit Boston Marathon Team to Support FamilyAid and Homeless Children and Parents
Austin Frank is training hard to run the Boston Marathon on October 11, but Austin’s goal is even bigger than completing 26.2 miles — He is raising funds in support FamilyAid, a Boston-based nonprofit that empowers children and parents facing homelessness to secure and sustain housing and build strong foundations for their futures.
Austin is passionate about child and family homelessness, “I’ve been motivated and interested in helping alleviate homelessness for some time. My family and I work with those experiencing homelessness through organizations who provide emergency shelter and job training services through our church. I also did my senior project in college on homelessness stories in Nashville, TN by interviewing people on the street.” Hearing these powerful stories of heartbreak and success help drive Austin in his Boston Marathon training and fundraising.
Boston now has the third highest number of families experiencing homelessness on any given night in the country. Over the past year, FamilyAid provided 3,000 children and parents with the shelter, housing, and the supportive services needed to sustain or return to stable housing. During the pandemic, FamilyAid added emergency initiatives that provided 580,000 pounds of essential food and supplies to families weekly and $1.1 million in direct financial assistance to ensure families could pay for food, utilities, and other basic needs. The organization also opened a new, safe refuge shelter for families who arrived in Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center emergency rooms seeking a place to stay. Families who are placed in housing by FamilyAid have a 99% success rate of remaining housed a year later.
Through the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program, and the dedication and support of FamilyAid’s Marathon team, FamilyAid hopes to raise critically needed funds to create lasting solutions to the family homelessness crisis in our community. To learn more about FamilyAid Boston, please visit www.familyaidboston.org.
To make a donation to Austin, please visit his fundraising page.
