OGDEN — Five years ago, Family Promise launched in Weber County, aiming to help fight homelessness, particularly among families with children.

“We believe every child deserves a home,” said Raquel Da Silva, executive director of the nonprofit organization.

From the start in 2017, though, the aim wasn’t just to put a roof over the heads of those in need. While that’s a big element — and a service provided by organizations like Lantern House — the group also wanted to give program participants the wherewithal to fend for themselves. That’s a focus that distinguishes Family Promise, complementing the offerings of other social service organizations here that help those in need.

“We teach them how to be self-sufficient so they don’t then go back to being homeless,” Da Silva said. Clients get case management tailored to their particular circumstances.

As an open house set for May 19 to mark five years of operation looms, organization reps say the group’s efforts are paying off. They’ve helped 311 individuals in 84 families, with more than half of the families having successfully graduated from the program, achieving independence and securing a stable place to live. Now they’re thinking about the group’s next phase.

“We’ll hopefully have our own building next year,” said Lorraine Brown, president of the Family Promise board of directors. To that end, a capital drive is in the works to generate the needed funding.

Family Promise clients spend the night at a range of churches that partner with the organization, even at some businesses and at North Ogden’s former public works building. They typically pass the day at the Family Promise office in downtown Ogden where they get job training, learn about budgeting, get help with personal and mental health issues and more.

“We help them through the process of becoming independent,” Brown said.

By helping those who have long struggled with housing stability, Alex McDonald, another member of the Family Promise board, said the group aims to create a new trajectory in their lives, nudging them toward independence.

“Then that’s a generational change. That’s where the focus kind of started,” he said. “Some of the families who have been coming to us have been living in a car, living in a van, moving from one couch to another.”

Still, Family Promise doesn’t target the most chronic cases of homelessness or those dealing with severe substance abuse issues. Participants can’t use drugs and alcohol in the program.

Moreover, the group aims to help those new to homelessness, specifically families with kids. “Our niche is the recent homeless. … We’re trying to catch the families as they become homeless,” Da Silva said.

Clients typically get housing with Family Promise for 12 weeks, though the housing crunch and difficulty in finding places for them to live has pushed that up to 18 weeks. Of the 84 families helped so far, 45 have graduated and are living independently. The group has provided a total of 9,581 “shelter nights” and keeps working with those who need more time to complete the program.

Family Promise in Ogden, though part of a national organization, operates independently and relies on its own fundraising to cover operational costs. The open house on May 19 next week at the Family Promise office at 256 24th St. in Ogden goes from 4-6 p.m.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the date of the open house, set for May 19.

Newsletter