SANDPOINT — Keeping children safe and families together — that’s the mission of local organization Idahope Families.

Idahope Families was established during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after officials at Life Choices Pregnancy Center discovered a need for a specific type of support following its typical services. In the years after giving birth, mothers who sought help at Life Choices were in need of continued assistance as they raised their young children.

“We initially got started because we recognized from the pregnancy center that these clients that chose life and went through the pregnancy center were really experiencing great needs after four to five years of the child’s life,” Christine Denova, director of Idahope Families, said. “We wanted to start this program underneath the pregnancy center.”

However, through research and initial efforts, organizers discovered that they needed to start a whole new 501c3, which eventually became Idahope Families. Now, they can serve an even more diverse range of clients.

Since its inception in April 2020, Idahope Families has provided over 2,000 safe night stays for kids and families in crisis and its services have impacted the lives of 280 children, Denova said.  

“We aim to prevent child abuse by engaging with families in crisis and providing wraparound services that offer a safe place for children while mentoring the parents through the crisis bringing guidance, encouragement, and accountability, connecting them with the various services available that are necessary for their family to begin to thrive again,” Denova said. “In short, we keep families together and children safe during a crisis. We recruit, vet, and train volunteers from local churches who are motivated by their faith to provide compassionate care to hurting families through host homes, mentors, and support partners.”

The program takes in clients from all backgrounds.

As the organization was gaining traction, Denova met with Bonner County Health and Welfare representatives as well as the deputy director at the time in Boise to share the program. 

“They all believed that the Church has a significant responsibility [and a] significant influence in the communities they are in,” she said. “They also recognized that the people in the Church are motivated by their compassion for others because of the compassion that Jesus has for us.”

To celebrate these resources and other similar resources in the community, Idahope Families hosted its first Day of Hope on June 1. This event was sponsored by 17 local organizations that offer various types of family support. Each sponsor showcased a booth with an activity or craft for attendees to enjoy. 

“We wanted to engage other service providers in the community who help families in their time of need, of any kind,” Denova said.

Sponsors included Helping Hands & Healing Hearts, Bonner Homeless Transitions, Regeneration Calvary Chapel, NAMI Far North, Bonner Partners in Care, Community Resource Envision Center, 7B Care Clinic, Bonner Community Housing Agency, Compassionate Property Solutions, The Yellow Room, Bonner Community Food Bank, Fostering Idaho, Community Cancer Services, Psalms of Women, the A Team, and North Idaho College. 

Yoke’s Fresh Market donated food for the event, including hot dogs and hamburgers.

“All the providers who were here thought it was an excellent event,” Denova said. “We had numerous families thank us for doing it. They were greatly appreciative because they had no idea about all of the entities that offered help, and some of them even needed help on that day — it was great.”

Organizers are already brainstorming for next year’s Day of Hope, with aspirations to build awareness of local resources for an even greater portion of the community. 

Information: idahopefamilies.org

    To celebrate local family resources, Idahope Families hosted its first Day of Hope on June 1. This event was sponsored by 17 local organizations that offer various types of family support.