A fledgling Carbon County group that aims to help the homeless is hoping a Sept. 19 "Sleep-Out" in Lehighton will spread the word.

Family Promise invites people to participate in the Sleep-Out, which will be held starting at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn of Zion United Church of Christ, 225 Iron St. Among the participants will be families representing the homeless, said Family Promise president Larissa Kimmel.The group will provide refreshments and offer information. Participants are asked to bring camp chairs.For more information call Kimmel at (610) 577-5060Family Promise, founded in 1988, is a national organization uses churches to help families with food, temporary shelter and assistance in gaining employment and medical care. Under Family Promise's Interfaith Hospitality Network, congregations take turns hosting homeless families for a week at a time. The Carbon County group was launched several months ago.According to Family Promise, more than half of the homeless are women and children, and families are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. Carbon County has no homeless shelters, and there is a long waiting list for subsidized housing.