Project Hope for the Homeless is celebrating National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from Nov. 16-24 and unveiling a survey to gauge the community’s awareness of the organization and the issue of homelessness.
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week is celebrated each November and is part of a national effort involving more than 700 schools, colleges, and community groups that work to raise awareness about poverty.
The survey is a collaborative effort with Leadership Lake County, which is assisting Project Hope for the Homeless as part of a Signature Class of 2020 Community Impact Project.
The public is invited to take the short five-minute survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3L9QKPH
Information acquired from the survey will help Project Hope for the Homeless better serve its guests and further develop a new marketing plan heading into next year.
Project Hope for the Homeless, which is the only emergency shelter in Lake County, continues to see an increased demand for services.
“The shelter has provided 11,291 nights of shelter to 403 different people since January 1, 2019,” said Judy Burr, Project Hope for the Homeless executive director. “Although we have made a significant impact, the need is well-documented with 3,047 calls received requesting shelter by our local community action agency, Lifeline, through their referral and resource line at 2-1-1. We are thankful to the Lake County Commissioners and other leaders for recognizing this great need and helping us to respond to it”.
Project Hope for the Homeless expanded its services in 2019 and now offers these four programs:
- Adult shelter: an overnight, goal-oriented shelter for up to 38 adults
- Families Moving Forward: a daytime and evening shelter for families in a separate wing of the shelter for up to 12 parents and children
- Hope House: an off-site 24-hour senior transitional home that began operation in April for up to three guests who are 62 and older
- Aftercare: a voluntary support program for former guests that includes workshops, care packages, special events and ongoing case management that has reduced recidivism rate to less than 10%
In 2018, Project Hope for the Homeless served 471 guests including 65 children. This year through October, 403 guests including 59 children have received care with an 88 percent success rate of shelter guests transitioning into housing or treatment.
Project Hope for the Homeless also will host a public open house breakfast on Friday December 13 from 10 a.m. to noon.
The mission of Project Hope for the Homeless is to respond to the human hurts and hopes of people in Lake County who are homeless by providing emergency shelter, care, and guidance in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ. Our staff works with guests to provide proactive solutions to help them reach independence in Lake County. Reservations to stay at the shelter are handled by calling 2-1-1.