House of Hope has been providing basic
human needs for struggling people in Martin County, Fla., since 1984.
A nonprofit community service agency, House of Hope provides
its core
service programs at each of its four
locations -- Stuart (Golden Gate), Hobe Sound, Indiantown
and Jensen Beach:
House of Hope programs:
Food Pantry: House of
Hope is the largest provider of food for the
hungry in Martin County. In 2012, the agency provided
people with 191 tons
of food — the equivalent of nearly 299,000 meals --
through its four locations. More than a third of this
amount feeds hungry children.
Clothes Closet: House of Hope
gives thousands of garments, household items, furniture
and appliances free to those who would otherwise go without.
Items go to families and individuals as well as as
veterans groups and other agencies.
Project HOPE: In 2011, the agency's longstanding
financial assistance program
became a component of Project HOPE (Helping Others
Progress through Empowerment). House of Hope typically
covers rent, utilities and prescriptions, but clients
frequently have more complex problems than a one-time
payment can address.Case management has
developed as a way for House of Hope social workers
to provide follow-up and longer-term service. The goal is
to guide people through a period of crisis and help them
access resources and/or training to bring greater
economic stability to their lives.
Those served by House of Hope typically are
people who work for low wages and exist paycheck to paycheck, victims of
personal life tragedies (such as a major medical catastrophe,
death in the family or sudden job loss) and low fixed-income
retirees who live on Social Security benefits of only a few
hundred dollars a month.
Our clients are people like the cashier at
the grocery store, the laundress who dry cleans your clothes,
the waiter who serves your meals, the laborer who cuts your
grass, the elderly man who helps take your groceries to the car,
the tradesman who lost his job in the economic downturn, the
saleswoman whose hours were cut. They are people you know,
people you like. They are your neighbors in need.
Help comes from many sources
In fiscal 2011, House of Hope had a
budget of about $1 million, plus an additional $2 million in
in-kind donations of food, clothing, other items and volunteer
hours. Here are the sources of the cash revenue:
Other sources of agency funds include
interest payments, bequests, and minor miscellaneous income.
See a list of funders.
More than 90% of the food House of Hope gives away each year comes from community
donations. Most notable are the substantial donations made
annually through:
The Stamp
Out Hunger food drive conducted by the National
Association of Letter Carriers.
The WPTV Channel 5 "Food for Families"
drive each November.
Various food drives held by churches,
temples, communities, businesses, schools, scouts, etc.
The House of Hope audit
for the past fiscal year indicated that administrative expense combined with fund-raising expense was equal to
10% of our total
budget.
That means
nearly 90 cents of every dollar donated is dedicated to
providing program services.
