Family Promise of Carbon County, Carbon County’s only nonprofit emergency shelter addressing family homelessness, announced their fourth annual Cycle Out Homelessness event in partnership with All One Charities. For the past three years this event was an out and back bicycle ride on our treasured community D&L Trail starting at the Weissport Trailhead heading North to Glen Onoko in Jim Thorpe and back.

This year we have decided to give our participants the option to ride or walk. Walkers can choose their distance and walk south on the newly renovated trail which allows bikers and pedestrians.

This event, which will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., calls on the community to ride their bikes or walk the trail in order to raise awareness about the issue of homelessness and raise needed funds for our shelter expansion. It includes food, DJ, basket raffles and chances to win trips to the Caribbean.

Lack of affordable, quality housing, unemployment, and poverty are the three most cited reasons for family homelessness and the numbers are growing every day in every community across the country. In Carbon County, the number of people experiencing homelessness tripled between 2019 and 2020, and the need for more shelter services is paramount.

Our vision is to be able to meet the needs of more families who call every day that we don’t have the current capacity to help. But with a strong network of host and support churches, and our leadership role in the homelessness task force and continuum of care in Carbon County, we have a strong and proven track record to successfully expand our mission.

Through private and public sources of support, the agency will be purchasing a rectory and church in Nesquehoning at 140 W. Mill St. The rectory, specifically, will house the family shelter which is three times the size of our day center and is equipped to serve a minimum of seven families at a time (compared to the current maximum of four families).

Proceeds from event will help Family Promise of Carbon County continue its vital mission of helping families experiencing homelessness in our own communities.

More information on this event and how you can get involved in the fight against family homelessness can be found at www.familypromsiecarboncounty.org.