Another option in the works for homeless families

by Andrea Heisinger (2/20/06)
Reprinted with permission from the Lewiston Tribune

In as little as a year, families currently sleeping in a car or under a bridge could find shelter in a local church.

Toni Kraut and Jana Peer are two of the people working to form an Interfaith Hospitality Network with churches in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

It's a daunting task, finding people to oversee and sustain the project, willing churches, volunteers and money.

The two Lewiston residents are both on the board of trustees, which has been operating since last June to set up everything.

Their goal is to find a minimum of 12 interested churches in the next three months. Each would house 12 to 15 people for a week each quarter of the year.

The families would stay at the churches from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., and would receive dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. They would be transported during the day to another site, likely a house, where they could shower and have an address and phone number to receive mail and messages.

A social worker, the only paid position, would also have an office there to assist people in finding places to live and jobs.

"This is supposed to be low cost," Kraut said.

"We'll have the churches provide about 50 volunteers a week and a certain amount of money, although we understand not all churches can afford to do that."

They haven't officially signed up any churches yet and are still in the process of writing bylaws and getting nonprofit status.

They have already sent off paperwork to become an affiliate of the national Family Promise, which the local network falls under.

Family Promise, formerly called the National Interfaith Hospitality Network, was founded in 1988 by a woman in New Jersey. It now has 116 affiliates in 38 states.

Kraut said a woman from Family Promise approached local churches last spring. After doing some research, the Family Promise representative said they had seen need for more homeless shelters in this area.

Claas Ehlers, the national director of network development, said they did some research in January 2005, about the homeless shelter situation in the valley.

"What we found was while there's a very good shelter, they had to turn away 75 families in 2004," Ehlers said, referring to the YWCA shelter in Lewiston.

"There simply isn't enough, and it's not a criticism of any organization."

Ehlers said he has visited the valley twice, guiding the board on how to start a network and what will be needed to keep it going.

When he has come to town, he's noticed an "enthusiastic response" to the idea at community meetings where he said up to 50 people showed up.

Kraut is hoping that kind of enthusiasm continues.

The first year's budget is estimated at $60,000, she said. The only paid staff would be a social worker, who would also act as director.

Other money would be needed to eventually purchase a van and trailer to transport families from one church to another.

Portable beds and luggage would also be transported from church to church.

"It would be more homey than a motel, and allow people to get settled with their families," Peer said.

The people who would be staying in the churches would be screened by the referral agency or network director.

Some things that would exclude people are active alcohol or drug abuse or people with active psychiatric disorders that would prohibit them from living in a group setting.

This is mostly for the safety of the volunteers who would be working with them, Kraut said.

Volunteers would do things like make food, do laundry and play with children. Child care will not be provided, although there would be assistance in finding some.

The length of the process to get everything off the ground has surprised the two women.

"We thought it would be really quick," Peer said.

Instead they're stuck in a pile of paperwork, and trying to get bylaws written so they can apply for nonprofit status.

"We're just kind of flailing about," Kraut said.

"Once we get churches committed it will get going."

Kraut said at their last board meeting, a social worker said if the network was up and running now, she had three families who could use it.

"There is a definite need," she said.

"We're not trying to duplicate services. We're trying to pick up where others left off and help people get into permanent housing."

Anyone interested in the Interfaith Hospitality Network can attend a meeting at 7 p.m. March 21 at Edge Student Ministries, 818 18th St., in Lewiston.

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Heisinger may be contacted at andreah@lmtribune.com