That is a huge win for local community support services. It is an incredible adaptive reuse of that space, especially considering how much of an impact it’s going to have on local families.
The transaction closed with local philanthropists Arturo and Susan Echarte purchasing the former Faith Lutheran Church property at 211 Easton Drive for $1.485 million. Instead of flattening it for new residential lots or letting it sit empty, they are leasing the entire nearly one-acre campus to the faith-based nonprofit Hope House Florida for a symbolic $1 a month.
The move is a major milestone for the area for a few notable reasons:
- Expanding the Footprint: Hope House Florida, which serves young single and teen mothers, is relocating its main operations from Bartow to this larger facility. The 17,278-square-foot building will allow them to significantly scale up their housing resources, mental health counseling, and self-sufficiency programs.
- Architectural Preservation: For the local history and architecture buffs, the 1984 church campus was designed by Nils M. Schweizer, a well-known protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. The sale ensures the distinctive property will be preserved and maintained rather than redeveloped.
- A Win-Win Transition: Faith Lutheran’s congregation had seen its numbers average around 40 weekly attendees in recent years. The near-unanimous vote by the congregation to sell ensures the building continues to serve a deeply community-minded, mission-driven purpose.
It is a beautiful example of local philanthropy stepping in to solve two problems at once—giving an architectural piece of Lakeland a stable future while providing a massive safety net for young moms who need a village to get on their feet.
Tomasa Villaronga, a licensed mental health counselor who was named executive director of Hope House Florida in April.
Founded in 2019 as His Hope House Corporation, the nonprofit made headlines last year following the arrest of former Executive Director Tara Johnson.
On October 29, 2025, Johnson was charged with distributing digital sexually explicit images of a man without his permission. Investigators said Johnson and her friend, Kristina Taylor, sent explicit images of Taylor’s former boyfriend to his current girlfriend.
According to a Hope House spokesperson, Johnson resigned the same day she was charged.