Carbon County is hoping to secure funding for an organization that helps the homeless to continue with its mission.

On Thursday, the county commissioners held a public hearing regarding the application for the 2021 ESG Program grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The $50,000 request would help with operations of Family Promise of Carbon County.

Lori L. Hoffmaster, executive director of Family Promise, said that the organization requested more than it was last awarded because she feels the demand is there.

She noted that the organization receives about five to six calls for help daily and it is currently full, serving four families.

“The number of homeless people in Carbon County has tripled,” Hoffmaster said.

Plans that have been in the works since 2019 to finalize the purchase of the former St. Francis of Assisi church and rectory in Nesquehoning are also coming together and Hoffmaster said this grant will help continue its service in a larger setting. No closing date has been announced.

The project will have two phases, with the rectory being the first to reopen as Family Promise’s new center. It has approximately seven bedrooms that will be utilized for families in the program.

Hoffmaster said she hopes to have this open within three to six months.

The second phase is the church, which will require more renovations to create the Promise Center for single women facing homelessness.

Hoffmaster told the commissioners, who previously helped Family Promise with the funds for purchasing the buildings, that the second phase is expected to take place in 2022.

The commissioners then approved two actions for filing the application for Family Promise.

In a related matter, the commissioners reminded Hoffmaster, as well as the public, that funding is still available through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program through Catholic Charities.

Carbon County received $4.22 million through the COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government to help families at risk of eviction, as well as landlords who have lost finances as a result of the pandemic; but Commissioners Chris Lukasevich and Wayne Nothstein said the applications have been “surprisingly low.”

“I hope more people take advantage of it while funding is available,” Nothstein said.

The program will end when all funds have been expended. All funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2021.

For more information on the program, visit www.catholiccharitiesad.org/rent-assistance or call Tom Miller at Catholic Charities at 610-435-1541, ext. 302.