QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT HOPE HOUSE FOUNDATION


What is the Hope House Foundation?
Located in Huntersville, N.C., the Hope House Foundation is a charitable 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose purpose is to help women in the Lake Norman area attain self-sufficiency by providing transitional housing, skills training and support services. 


Who founded the Foundation?
Incorporated in February 2004 and gaining non-profit status in 2005, the Hope House Foundation was established by Dr. Lee Beth Lindquist, a family physician at Lakeside Family Physicians in Cornelius, N.C., along with a volunteer and former board member, Don King. 


What is the Hope House Foundation’s mission?
The mission of the Hope House Foundation is to nurture the well-being, independence and faith of single women and women with children in the Lake Norman area by providing them shelter, services and support in order for them to become self-sufficient.

What is the Hope House Foundation’s vision?
The Foundation’s vision is to provide a full continuum of services to its clients and to offer transitional housing for individuals in need of becoming self-sufficient.

How would you describe Hope House?
Hope House was renovated into a transitional home setting for displaced women and women with children in the Lake Norman area. Situated on four acres, the 4,000 square foot house on two levels has six bedrooms with dormitory-style sleeping quarters to accommodate up to 12 adults. The lower level is totally accessible for disabled persons with a wheelchair-accessible mini-kitchen, bathroom and a handicapped ramp that goes to the upper level.

A secured children’s playroom is located in the former garage of the house along with an outdoor play and picnic area. The AT&T Learning Center in the lower level has state-of-the-art-computers and software for educational purposes and employment assistance. Hope House does not require high security or anonymity since it is neither a battered women’s shelter, nor a substance abuse recovery center and fits unobtrusively into a residential neighborhood.

Who is eligible to live in the house?
Under a social worker’s guidance and supervision, a homeless woman and/or her children (boys must be no older than 8 at time of in-take) may live in the Hope House. An admissions process must be completed before individuals and/or families are accepted as residents into the home. The length of stay is for no longer than six months in order to help residents find gainful employment if they do not already have it as well as permanent, affordable housing. No referrals of women who are current victims of domestic violence, suffer from mental illness, are active alcoholics and/or illegal drug users or have inappropriate criminal histories are accepted as Hope House residents.

What services and support are accessed through the Hope House staff and volunteers, case managers, counselors and community resources?

• Employment
  • AT & T Learning Center with computer availability, internet use,
    free e-mail accounts, computer skills training and resume writing
  • Career assessment and counseling with job search skills
  
  
• Healthcare Community Resources
  • Medical and dental treatment
  • Nutrition education
  
  
• Personal Aid and Skills
  • Legal services and referrals
  • Money management
  • Parenting classes
  • Self-esteem building
  • Stress management

What volunteer jobs are offered at the Hope House?
Volunteers are the essential glue that holds the spirit of Hope House together. Our volunteers provide personal skills and talents as well as a dedication, commitment and support in maintaining the house and its residents.

Our volunteers have contributed their time by providing:
• Monitoring the house as a trained resident advisor in the RAYS Program
• Building and maintenance (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters) services
• Housekeeping and interior design
• Office administration and financial reporting
• Fundraising, event management and marketing

What types of household and personal donations are needed for the house?
Call the Hope House with your recommended donations, and we will be back in touch with you to let you know if we can use the items. If we can’t, we will attempt to recommend another non-profit in the Lake Norman area that might use your items. We have many partnering non-profits and we all work toward helping our community together.

Hope House has different needs to furnish the house and will list these needs periodically on the web site under the “Donations” category.

What are the benefits of Hope House?
In the Lake Norman area, there is no transitional housing for homeless women and women with children. Hope House can accommodate 12 adult women and children for up to six months to help these individuals become self-sufficient. Hope House also provides these benefits:

• Four-acre wooded site with ample paved parking and landscaping in an attractive neighborhood with well-maintained homes, churches and schools.
  
  
• 4,000 square feet of "energy-efficient" living space with a security system on two levels with three bedrooms on each level. The home was designed, built and furnished with the generosity of the Lake Norman community as a transitional home. Hope House became energy-efficient in July 2011 by a generous grant provided by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency in memory of their board member, William C. "Bill" Lackey, Jr., who died December 7, 2010 and whose wife Barbara is a devoted RAYS volunteer with Hope House..
  
  
• Six, fully-furnished, comfortable and attractive resident bedrooms with two or three single beds per room with new mattresses and pillows for each bedroom and two bathrooms on each level.
  
  
• Lower level designed to accommodate wheelchair accessibility for bedroom, bath, living, dining and learning center with an outdoor handicapped ramp to the upper level rooms
  .
• State-of-the-art learning center provided by AT&T that includes both PC and Mac computers, Internet and software learning programs for employment and school with well-designed and lighted training and classroom space. The center focuses on employment and education for self-sufficiency.
  
  
• Appliances and a commercial-grade laundry on each level, in addition to a well-stocked linen and pantry closet providing personal toiletries, sheets, towels and miscellaneous bedding for the residents to use from a generous grant from The Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation.
  
  
• Indoor and outdoor play areas for children with equipment, books, games and toys.
  
  
• Volunteer base to help with providing support services.
  
  
• Donor base with growth opportunities from a community supporting the foundation through special events in which Hope House is the beneficiary.
  
  
• Committed board of directors who are careful stewards of the Foundation’s money during construction and furnishing the house. They have established strategic partnerships to help carry out the mission of this 501-(c)-3 organization.
  
  
• Employment, healthcare, personal aid and skills services are factored into the programming for its residents to become independent.

Who are Hope House’s Friends?
A listing of Hope House’s benefactors and supporters are listed under “Contributors” on this web site. We update this listing periodically. Other friends are also listed who have given time, guidance and counsel to us as we move forward in fulfilling our mission daily.

How can you contact the Hope House Foundation to volunteer or donate?
You can reach the Hope House Foundation at 704-464-2037.