Press releases

House of Hope keeps families
stable through rocky times

PRESS RELEASE DATE: JULY 20, 2010

During the first half of 2010, House of Hope has fed, clothed and supported more than 2,500 families in Martin County.

+ The agency’s Community Food Bank served 1,979 families, fulfilling 5,200 requests for food and feeding 3,075 children. The food bank distributed 53 tons of food to families, and another 11.4 tons to other organizations, including the church-based community kitchens that provide free meals throughout the week. House of Hope also provided food to members of Boys and Girls Clubs, so that families can have the peace of mind of food throughout the weekend.

+ The agency’s Clothing and Furniture Bank provided 258 families with needed garments and/or household items. Thousands more items were donated to other local agencies, including ones that serve children, veterans and homeless people.

+ The Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) program helped 312 families with critical bill payments such as rent, utilities, transportation and health care. House of Hope provided a total of $78,730 in assistance, which usually made the difference for a family to be able to stay in their home or avoid having their electricity turned off.

The EFA total also reflects assistance provided through House of Hope’s case management program, which offers longer-term guidance and aid to clients who are seeking to obtain, maintain or improve their employment situation and bring greater stability to their lives.

Calls for financial assistance peak during the summer months. The Stuart location alone receives 30 to 40 calls a day during the summer, when workers experience layoffs and cutbacks in hours because of the seasonal nature of the local economy.

The slow economy overall has had a strong impact on House of Hope. “Since the economic crisis began in 2006, we have seen a 96 percent increase in requests for Emergency Financial Assistance,” said executive director Patrick Slattery.

House of Hope’s services are available at its four locations – the main office in Stuart, along with branches in Hobe Sound, Indiantown and Jensen Beach. Each location also operates a resale store, which generates revenue for the agency to be able to help local people in their time of crisis.

For more information about House of Hope, call (772) 286-4673 or visit www.hohmartin.org.