Neighborhood House, a longtime St. Paul social services nonprofit based on the city's West Side, is adopting a $1 million program on the city's East Side that aims to help families get out of poverty.

The East Side Family Center program, which is based in four St. Paul elementary schools, will get a well-established, well-funded parent that can nurture it as it continues to grow. Neighborhood House will gain a physical presence on the East Side, as well as the ability to get into some housing services it doesn't currently offer.

"It's a good fit," said Armando Camacho, president of Neighborhood House. The nonprofit was founded in 1897, has a budget of more than $5 million and serves more than 10,000 people yearly. People come from all over St. Paul, as well as Dakota and Washington counties, to participate in the various programs.

East Side Family Center had been a part of the East Side Neighborhood Development Corp. (ESNDC), but that organization decided earlier this year to refocus on commercial development and community engagement. ESNDC sought a new group to adopt the family program.

About 25 percent of the people who go to Neighborhood House come from the East Side already, and the two organizations have similar missions, so the adoption made sense, Camacho said.

Neighborhood House also has a family service center program in the West 7th neighborhood.

The East Side Family Center program is in four St. Paul elementary schools: Bruce F. Vento, Dayton's Bluff, John A. Johnson and North End. It aims to strengthen families by providing assistance with basic needs including food, clothing, medical insurance and shelter.

CHRIS HAVENS