|
House
of Hope programs
Martin County residents have access to HOH
services at each of our four
locations (Stuart,
Hobe Sound, Indiantown and Jensen Beach):
The House
of Hope's Food Pantries are the leading source of food
for the hungry in Martin County. With answers to a
few simple questions, people can receive a supply of
nutritionally balance groceries. For example, a family
of four will usually be given about 25 pounds of staples
-- enough to sustain them for a few days.
As more
people struggle with their monthly bills, they are
increasingly turning to food banks to help stretch their
dollars. About one-third to one-half of the food
provided by House of Hope feeds hungry children in
Martin County. Senior citizens on low fixed incomes also
represent a large portion of the clients regularly
served by House of Hope food pantries.
Service statistics for 2008 & 2009
Families seeking help from House of
Hope often lack the resources to buy sufficient clothing
and other necessities. The Clothes Closet provides
clothing, household necessities, furniture and
appliances free or a significantly low cost to people who would otherwise do without.
The Clothes Closets at each HOH location double as
income-producing resale stores. Your donations and
purchases help House of Hope provide services to
people struggling through hard times.
Service statistics for 2008
& 2009
|
Emergency Financial Assistance Program
|
The
Emergency
Financial Assistance Program offers temporary
financial assistance. It is designed to pay critical
bills when families and individuals are struggling for
stability at times of crisis.
The EFA program most often helps with housing payments and
utility bills, and it targets Martin County residents
who work hard but suddenly find themselves unable to
make ends meet. Typically, EFA clients are low-wage
workers, low fixed-income seniors,
single parents, and people facing a sudden life crisis
(divorce, abandonment, abuse, death in the family, major
medical issue, etc.).
In today’s
disastrous economic climate, many clients are
newly unemployed middle-class wage earners who have
exhausted their personal resources. They are suddenly
desperate and unfamiliar with services and benefits that
may be available to them. House of Hope can help them
with short-term assistance as well as long-term guidance
and counseling through its case management program.
Service statistics for 2008
& 2009
Read more about clients helped in
the EFA program >>
For more
than 25 years, House of Hope focused on providing
short-term aid to help people get through a period of
crisis. In 2008, the agency’s leadership decided to
create a longer-term solution by implementing a case
management program to guide people toward economic
stability and self-reliance.
In
this program, case workers provide life-changing
counseling services. They mentor clients to help
them with planning, budgeting and accessing the resources
and training they need to succeed and bring stability to
their lives.
The program
received a boost in autumn 2009, when House of Hope was
awarded a grant to expand case management services in Martin
County. The one-year, $146,855 grant is funded through the
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA, or
federal stimulus package) and is the largest
grant HOH has ever received.
The grant is designed to
address the needs of low-income people —
especially as it relates to their ability to
obtain, maintain and/or increase their
employment.
It provided for the hiring
of two case workers and for financial assistance
related to clients' housing, child care, transportation
or certain medical expenses.
The longer-term help,
however, comes from the guidance that case managers
provide. Case workers help clients make a plan
for bringing greater stability to their lives --
and the lives of their family members. Such
planning involves helping clients access
training and educational opportunities,
referring them to other support services in the
community, and helping them improve life skills
such as managing their household finances.
More
information >>
|
