The road from Portland to North Idaho was long as Josh France and his family sought a better life.

About four years ago, he and his wife, Brooke, had a little girl, and another baby was soon on the way.

"I was telling Brooke, 'I don't think we should raise our kids here (in Portland),' because it's getting bad out there," Josh said Monday.

Brooke's parents lived in North Idaho until her mom died in 2020, soon followed by her father in 2021. Josh, Brooke and daughter Abby arrived in the area to deal with Brooke's father's belongings.

That's when the stars began to align for the young family. He and Abby were walking in Post Falls near Seltice Way and Spokane Street when the owner of a granite shop stopped them.

"He pulls into the parking lot, and he's like, 'Hey, what's your story?' and I was like, 'Who are you?'" Josh said. 

The man told him that he needed employees for his shop.

"I was like, 'Oh, well I live in Portland,' and he goes, 'Why?' and I'm like, 'I don't know,'" Josh said. 

The man, who had a houseful of children, offered Josh and his family to stay with him and his family and work at the shop to get out of Portland.

"We needed an option — so that was our option," Josh said. "We went home and put all of our stuff that we couldn't fit in the car in the street for free and left — we jumped into God's hands."

The living situation turned sour after seven months.

"It wasn't fun, but I had to tell Brooke, 'We have to get our stuff, we gotta go,'" Josh said.

They ended up at a motel in Newport, using up the last of their funds while searching for a place.

"We ran out of money, so we were sleeping in the parking lot of the motel," he said. "I was telling Brooke, 'You know what, I think it's a church that's going to help us.'"

Soon after, they found Family Promise of North Idaho, a nonprofit that works with local churches to provide temporary shelter to families in need. Its core services include prevention, shelter and stabilization. Family Promise helped the Frances with a hotel for a few days before they could get into the nonprofit's community-based housing program. They were expecting baby No. 2 by that time.

Near the hotel was a restaurant, the same franchise Josh worked at in Oregon. Management hired him on the spot during a chance meeting in the hotel parking lot. It was the very same day the family found Family Promise and ended up staying at Peace Lutheran Church, where they were living when they welcomed baby David into the world.

Giving up wasn't an option for the young family, Josh said, as so many people were rooting for them.

"I couldn't not try," he said. "It really hurt my pride, I felt like I really wasn't doing a good job to provide for my family, but I had to just suck that up and embrace what we were going through with open arms. Go full speed ahead and don't stop."

The Frances now have fulfilling work and a roof over their heads. Abby is 9. David is 3.

Their story has come full circle. Josh is a board member of Family Promise, where he offers support and insight as a lived-experience expert.

According to data compiled by Family Promise of North Idaho, there were 1,384 homeless children ages birth to 18 in Kootenai County in 2024. To afford a two-bedroom rental home, one must earn $27-$28 per hour or make $58,000 annually. In Kootenai County, 49% of households are in the Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed, or ALICE population, often living paycheck to paycheck.

In 2025, Family Promise received 421 inquiries, serving a total of 999 people, of whom 495 were children, 168 younger than 6 years.

Tristan Hite, vice president of the Family Promise board, said she is in awe of the France family's strength, beauty and resilience, as well as their efforts to pay forward the support they've received.

"It's the least I could do," Josh said. "I wish I could do more."

Hite said their family is a gift.

"It's so cool to be a part of a program that continues to help people through those hard seasons," she said.

To further support Family Promise's mission, the nonprofit will host its annual benefit at 5:30 p.m. April 24 at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn. Funds from the event, Starry Night, will benefit programs that prevent and end hopelessness for families.

"People think that it can't happen to them, but it could happen to any one of us at any time," Hite said. 

Starry Night tickets are $85 per person. 

Info: familypromiseni.org

    Family Promise of North Idaho will host its annual benefit at 5:30 p.m. April 24 at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn. Funds from the event, Starry Night, will benefit programs that prevent and end hopelessness for families.