The Family Promise Day Center officially opened its doors this week, celebrating with a ribbon cutting attended by Chamber of Commerce members, board members and other volunteers who helped make the center a reality.
Family Promise of Effingham is a local chapter of Family Promise, a program of the Interfaith Hospitality Network.
Homeless families are hosted in local churches where each congregation provides lodging and meals.
Each congregation agrees to host up to five families, with a maximum of 14 people, for a week at a time four or five weeks a year.
The families stay in classrooms, offices or large halls at churches.
The families use the day center where the families can do laundry, shower, pursue employment and receive social services. It also provides a mailing address for the families. The day center has a van for guest transportation.
The Effingham Day Center currently has three families with seven children.
“None of this would have been possible without Mrs. Deason,” board member Herb Jones said.
The Day Center house on Laurel Street in Springfield was leased to the group by Kathy Deason, owner of Kathy’s Day Care.
“She basically gave us the building,” Ashley Moore, center director said. “She had a heart for it.”
Jones also thanked the many volunteers, including grandparents, parents and small children, who worked to get the day center ready for use.
Family Promise board members are: Jackie Brown, Brian Dickey, Franklin Goldwire, Julie Hales, David Harris, Herb Jones, Elizabeth Ralph, the Rev. David Rose, the Rev. Melissa Traver, and Jean Vaught.