Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Family Care Center suitable to design, build and manage this children's shelter?

  1. We have been providing mental health services to the children of eastern Idaho since 1982.
  2. In 1986 Dr. Thana was invited by the local Y.M.C.A. and United Way to move Family Care Center to Idaho Falls to help the city cope with a rash of teen suicides.
  3. In all of our years of operation, we have never denied services to children under 18 due to inability to pay, and continue these services pro-bono beyond the age of 18 as needed. This truly realizes the American ideal of "not for profit."
  4. To our knowledge, we are the only not-for-profit agency in Idaho that will have all of the services needed by children under one roof and on one campus. These services include full time medical, counseling, dietician, day-treatment, recreational therapy, and case management.
  5. Through his personal experience, our Executive Director sets the example for us by having been a foster parent to 47 children in eastern Idaho and an adoptive parent to two of these children. His experiences give us a unique perspective on the needs of these children. Pearl House is an extension of his vision for God's children and because of that vision the FCC Board of Directors has the faith and confidence to support this project.
  6. Dainett Swan, the highly qualified Director-elect of Pearl House, is herself a veteran of foster and institutional care and therefore, understands the point of view of the children who will be under our care. Her own experiences at the Texas Baptist Children's home enable her to set a positive tone and atmosphere for Pearl House. The children and Pearl House staff will benefit greatly by her presence and guidance.

What is different about Pearl House?

At this time there is no facility for homeless children in Eastern Idaho. Existing facilities for children have missions that differ from that of Pearl House. There are drug and alcohol treatment programs. There are programs for the severely mentally ill. There are programs for children who have broken the law. But there is nothing for children who just need a place to be safe. All such children need some training to deal with the stress and difficult situation of their lives. But it is not appropriate to mix these children with criminal or violent offenders, and they are generally not sufficiently emotionally ill to justify long-term residential psychiatric care. Pearl House fills a need in the community.

What if a child has no money?

There are some entities that can fund a child in this kind of residence. But we recognize that many children have no resources for such care. Therefore, no child will be turned away for reason of inability to pay. Our experience with FCC City of Refuge (shelter for homeless men) applies here. In all the years of operation the community has been extremely generous in meeting the needs of these homeless men. In fact, in recent years the community has been so generous that FCC has never had to lend permanent financial support to this facility. Likewise, we are confident that the generosity of our community will help us ensure that no child in our area will be left homeless.

What happens if we don't build this facility?

The community will go on as it has, with a patchwork of solutions that traditionally have allowed children to slip through the cracks. This means that children who need such service may be forced to leave the area or enter foster care when these may not be the best solutions. They may run away from home or move from friend to friend trying to find shelter on their own. Or they may just continue to exist in the difficult environment in which they find themselves. Such children, left to their own devices when they need emotional help and support, often become a burden to society in later years.

Why is our clinic seeking funds when it is already in operation?

The Pearl House project is a $2,500,000 project encompassing a Children's Shelter, skate park, exercise facilities, horse stables with related out-buildings, and skills workshops. As important as these facilities and services are, they do not directly involve the day-to-day operation of Pearl House Family Services (PHFS). As such, it is impossible to undertake such a project on the basis of the clinic's resources. Thus the need to move to the community for support of a project that directly benefits all of East Idaho. Even though PHFS is undertaking an expansion of its own, all funds directed toward Pearl House will be used solely for the construction and maintenance of Pearl House.

Why are we planning for only 65 beds when the need is so great?

Although we are opening the shelter with 35 beds, fire code allows us up to 65 beds; we will take in more children as we gain experience managing their needs. The 20-acre site Pearl House is being built on will allow us to expand in the future as needed.

Where did the name "Pearl House" come from?

The name Pearl House is taken from the Book of Matthew 13:44-45. The Lord considers his children a treasure that is more valuable than everything He owns. The treasure is likened to a perfect pearl, born of the suffering of an oyster. When an oyster encounters an irritant, it deals with the irritant by slowly transforming it into a pearl. The oyster and pearl provide a powerful metaphor for us in addressing children in crisis; by applying a covering of love and care we expect the Lord's grace to transform pain and irritants into Pearls of great value. The vision of Pearl House is to create the environment where transformation can take place, ultimately producing functional, productive adults in spite of a painful childhood. Pearl House will allow these children to not only make their way in the world, but also bring benefits and blessings to others by their experience.