Ramsey County extends contract for day center
On December 3, 2019, Ramsey County announced it would award Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul a one-year contract, renewable each year for up to four more years, to operate a day center for families who are guests in Interfaith Action’s Project Home overnight shelters.
Interfaith Action stepped in earlier this fall to temporarily operate the day center, previously run by The Family Place, which closed its day program August 31.
“With the day center, we can provide services to our Project Home families 24/7,” said Interfaith Action executive director Randi Ilyse Roth. “This seamless expansion of our programming allows us more ways to harness the power of the interfaith community to move people out of poverty.”
Interfaith Action’s Project Home engages faith communities to provide emergency shelter space for Ramsey County families facing homelessness. Church social halls, synagogue classrooms, and school cafeterias become home for a short period of time for families, allowing families to stabilize. Each month, two area faith communities host 20 emergency shelter beds each.
With the new Project Home Day Center, Interfaith Action expands its support to the day-time hours, providing:
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner plus an after-school snack for hungry children
- Home base for Interfaith Action’s rapid exit case workers, who work with families to find stable and affordable housing
- Central location where children can meet buses to take them to their schools
- Lockers, showers, and basic hygiene supplies
- Educational opportunities to build employment skills
Sara Liegl, who has served as director of Interfaith Action’s Project Home for 18 years, is the director of the Project Home Day Center, located in First Baptist Church in downtown Saint Paul.
