(ABC 6 News) – If you are a current family looking for a place to go, you may now just be in luck. Family Promise in Rochester opened the gates to their new promise house on Thursday, providing a temporary shelter for up to 90 days for families who need it.

“We have group rooms for families and then upstairs we have 2 apartments for families who are transitioning to more independent housing,” said Stephen Saliba, a volunteer for Family Promise.

The new house is able to host 14 families in one building, as opposed to their past North Star building that could only house 2 to 3. Members of the Family Promise board say that difference will be a game changer.

“The need has increased massively so to have this opportunity with the county to host up to 12-14 families is incredible. This place is wonderful,” Saliba said.

With the overall goal not only to house families who need it, but to find a more permanent housing situation in the long run.

“We provide shelter to families, but we provide them a pathway to achieve independent housing again. We have case management. We provide meals. We provide job search services,” said Saliba.

However, the board president Lida Casper says that as great as the new house is, the need still remains high in Olmsted County.

“We know that the need is greater than being able to serve 14 families. I can tell you today that we have 19 families who are actually living in hotels, because we don’t have a family shelter,” said Casper.

And even if the house may reach capacity, she believes this is a step in the right direction.

“We can definitely probably fill this today with families who are experiencing homelessness, but I think we just have to start, we just have to see where we are at, and from there we can build and be creative,” Casper said.

Family Promise said the plan is to begin moving in a couple of families at the beginning of April, and from there work their way into moving more families.