announced today (Nov. 23) that they have forged a collaborative
agreement to work together to manage and operate the newly renovated
and furnished Hope House to serve homeless women and children in the
Lake Norman area.
A front-page article in a local newspaper on The Salvation Army tipped
off Hope House Board Member Chris Anthony that The Salvation Army was
a perfect match when he learned that they planned to build a
transitional house in two years. With his board's blessing, Anthony
immediately approached The Salvation Army's Major Todd Hawks and
Director of Social Services Deronda Metz with his collaborative idea.
According to Major Hawks, "It was a win-win match. By our joining
forces to run and program Hope House, we will experience cost savings
by not duplicating services for both our organizations," he
explained. "With these tough economic times, we are all looking for
best practices to serve the many needy people with the available funds
in the community."
Combining their strengths and missions, both non-profits have formally
signed an agreement that clarifies each organization's role in running
the house and managing the program for residents with 24/7 supervision
for the next three months, and then to negotiate a long-term
relationship.
The Salvation Army has hired the necessary staffing to run Hope House
with solid program management to operate the facility at full
capacity. Hope House has provided a transitional house on four acres
of land, household furnishings and amenities, utilities, a volunteer
program and a continuation of fundraising and development efforts by
its board to maintain the house and its grounds. In addition, Hope
House will continue to build strong relationships and close community
ties in the Lake Norman area with its many supporters.
"It's taken us almost three years of extensive renovations to
completely furnish the house in order for us to open our doors to be
as resident-ready as we are today," said Dr. Lee Beth Lindquist, co-
founder of Hope House. "Building anything is financially demanding.
When our Board had to face programming and operating the house 24/7,
this task was as daunting to us as renovating the house. To fill all
our 13 beds by December 1, we looked for an expert non-profit with
impeccable credentials in operating homeless shelters, and we
fortunately found a compatible connection with The Salvation Army."
Built on two levels, Hope House is a 4,000 square foot brick ranch
house in Huntersville that has been configured into six bedrooms and
four baths, two laundries as well as ample dining and kitchen space to
shelter homeless women and their children for up to six months with
services to enable them to transition into affordable permanent
housing and self-sufficiency.
Comfortably furnished by individuals and organizations from the Lake
Norman area, the house has new energy-efficient appliances, beds and
bedding as well as household goods furnished from a generous start-up
grant from the Sisters of Mercy of N.C. Foundation. The AT&T Learning
Center within the house has state-of-the-art computers and software
for all residents to use for educational and employment
opportunities. The garage of the house was converted into a colorful
recreational play area by Profit Technologies and funding from
Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association Housing Opportunity
Foundation. The disability ramp making the house totally accessible
was a gift from the Peninsula Community Foundation.
Major Hawks summed up the alliance, "Joining together at Hope House is
key to meeting the ever increasing needs of the homeless population in
our community -- particularly with those who are the most vulnerable
-- women and children. You can only put so many people in an
emergency shelter, but a transitional home gives individuals time to
become independent – a long term solution in hope."
About The Salvation Army and the Center of Hope
The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte meets the needs of the
community with 15 centers of service and five Thrift Stores with
services ranging from emergency assistance, shelters, Boys & Girls
Clubs, adult rehabilitation and disaster relief. The Center ofHope is
a 36,000-square foot facility with 202 beds, making it the largest
women and children's homeless shelter in the Southeast. In addition to
shelter, the Center of Hope offers professional case management, a
free medical clinic, childcare, Life Skills program, Substance Abuse
Treatment program, Shelter Health Care Services, a computer lab, a
resource center and the first fully-chartered Boys & Girls Club that
operates within a homeless shelter. For more information about The
Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, visit its web site at www.salvationarmycharlotte.org
.
About The Hope House Foundation
The Hope House Foundation is a 501-(c)-(3) non-profit charitable
organization created to serve the growing needs of homeless women and
women with children in the Lake Norman area in a comfortable suburban
home in Huntersville. To qualify, residents must be carefully screened
to live at Hope House and are expected to keep the home and grounds
tidy, contribute to meal preparation and assist with laundry and
cleaning, as well as fulfill personal goals set by their case managers
and staff to become independent. In addition to transitional shelter,
Hope House provides access to medical treatment and a variety of
services to enable these temporarily displaced women to become
productive and self-sufficient. To learn more about Hope House and
become a friend to its mission, visit www.hopehousefoundation.org.
