Several Hall County churches that plan to help Gainesville's homeless population are still looking for support to launch their idea.

A group of people from 11 local congregations meet monthly to talk about a national program that could help them host families and children. They've filed incorporation documents with the Secretary of State's Office and hope to send off Internal Revenue Service forms for tax-exempt status this week.

But now it's time to raise money and recruit churches to get on board, they discussed at a lunch meeting Wednesday.

"I hope we don't lose momentum this summer as people go on vacation," said Lindsey McCamy, a Gainesville United Methodist Church member who is heading up the group.

"Some people are ready to get this started and give meals, but we're not there yet."

The national Family Promise program provides shelter, meals and support for homeless families in the community.

Under the setup, 13 local churches would provide overnight lodging and volunteers who cook meals, with each church signing up for four weeks of service per year.

"People in the community need to feel ownership and buy-in," said Tom Cioffi, board president of the Family Promise network in Gwinnett County who has helped the Hall County group get started. "Lots of people show up at the meetings, but we need them to raise their hands."

Persistence is key, said Karen Olsen, who founded the national group 25 years ago in New York City. Family Promise now includes 164 affiliates across the country.

Olsen visited the Hall County group Wednesday to give advice.

"At some level, homelessness got to me, and one day on an impulse I ran across the street and got a sandwich for a woman," she said. "I thought I would do this good deed and be on my way. But when I came back, we talked for 20 minutes, and she put a face on homelessness for me."

Olsen and her two sons began making sandwiches each week, which grew into donating clothes and helping them look for a place to live. When she ran into roadblocks with zoning for a shelter, Olsen turned to churches for help.

"I grew up in a church that was more inward-looking than outward, and this is a way for congregations to engage," she said.

"I think there's a tremendous compassion in this country and certainly in the pews of our congregations, almost a hunger in our hearts to make a difference. But how do we connect? This allows families to connect locally in their own places of worship."

As church members get involved, they can use their resources to help others find jobs and homes, she added.

"It's a whole ripple effect of caring and sharing that happens beyond the core program," Olsen said. "You'll be surprised about what happens if you keep pushing and make it through the roadblocks."

Several church members who showed up Wednesday expressed their concerns about fundraising during a tough economy and finding the 13 churches to be host congregations.

Though several churches are interested in the idea, leaders may not be able to join officially until board meetings in May or June.

It's also an awareness issue, said Anna Nix, a church member at Mossy Creek United Methodist Church in Cleveland who is helping to organize the Family Promise group in White County.

"When we talk to people about helping with homelessness in White County, they don't understand. They don't see the homeless families," she said.

"The schools have documented at least 60 students who are in a homeless situation, so it's about getting that information out to everyone."