Program and Scope of Work
While the establishment of a full shelter program may be feasible at a later date, the “day service center” model is a practical and attainable “first step” in a broader community response.
These basic support services will help children stay in school, help adults present themselves for job interviews and advancement, direct families to other sources of assistance, and compassionately help them focus on a better future.
Therefore, Hands of Hope will establish a day service center offering core services including reception, information and referral, bathrooms, laundry facilities, and showers.
As funding and volunteer support expand, a second tier of services will be offered which may include:
Individual supportive mentoring (housing search, money management, employment readiness)
Compassionate support, informal advocacy, self-help networking
Supportive academic tutoring for school-aged children
School readiness center for children 0-5 and their parents
Local phone, message service, and secure mail receipt
Provision of limited quantities of clothing, blankets, and toiletries
Program space and staff supervision for adjunct activities will be provided as resources permit:
Meeting space for outside self-help groups and programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
Hosting of workshops or events by other local agencies offering services appropriate to homeless families
Hands of Hope is developing collaborative relationships with other local providers for on-site housing search and credit restoration counseling, “survival” clothing and bedding, and other services. We are actively negotiating for a part-time medical/dental clinic on a cooperative basis between several local providers.
When the service center is fully operational, we intend to serve as the gateway facility for a cooperative winter shelter project. In this program, Hands of Hope family groups (known to us, of proven reliability, screened for TB,) would be sheltered nightly at churches and other public facilities on a rotating basis during the cold, rainy months. Families would report to the Hands of Hope center nightly, store their personal effects, shower, and be transported to a local shelter site with blankets and sleeping pads provided by our program. Rising early, they would clean up the host facility and be transported back to the service center to begin their day’s schedule of school, work, or job search.
Hands of Hope
Resources for Homeless Families
