The recently formed Family Promise of Clark County, an interfaith organization for families experiencing homelessness, will house its day center at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, in Camas, this fall.
The Family Promise nonprofit provides shelter, meals and support services to families without homes, and has more than 200 affiliates across the country, including regional Family Promise services in Beaverton, Oregon, and Bellingham, Washington.
The goal of the organization is to get families back into permanent, sustainable housing and employment as quickly as possible, according to Family Promise.
David Lester, St. Thomas pastoral assistant for social concerns, said the church agreed to assist the nonprofit’s day center goals because helping the less fortunate is part of the Catholic tradition and Christian call to live a life modeled after Jesus.
“Hosting the day center for Family Promise will be a benefit to our community because it provides us an opportunity to live out that call,” Lester said. “Communities are stronger when their members in greatest need are cared for in a loving and compassionate way. We are doing what we can with the resources we have to care for homeless families who need some support to overcome the difficult hurdle of returning to a home after falling into homelessness.”