Religious congregations are assisting homeless families through a new housing program backed by Sacramento City Councilman Robert Fong. In the program, known as the Faith & Homeless Families Initiative, local religious groups find housing for homeless families with children. The program is emerging as local homeless shelters say they’re turning away families because of limited shelter space, according to Tim Brown, director of the Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative, a local public/private partnership. “There’s a lot of newer homeless families,” he said. The program began in February and has linked six families to congregations. The congregations then found housing for the families,

Hoards of people walked and pedaled up to North B Street Saturday morning. Volunteers were more than ready for them, tools in hand, prepared to repair their bikes as part of Cycle 4 Hope’s monthly “Homeless Outreach Day.” Founded by Shawn Holiday in 2008, Cycles 4 Hope is a nonprofit organization that provides free bike repairs for the homeless. It operates entirely on donated bicycle materials and the help of volunteers. “The number one thing that I have learned is that a bicycle helps a homeless person not feel homeless," Holiday said. "It gives them the opportunity to be at par with everyone else. It helps them forget the bad situation they are in.” After Holiday spent a morning down