At the time of crafting this letter, it will have been just over 3 weeks since our ribbon-cutting ceremony, which, ironically, was the same day we received our Certificate of Occupancy for the completion of Phase I of the House of Hope.
Since that day, an army of volunteers has staged units, prepped the community for our new neighbors, and with the fast work of our intake staff, we’ve been able to house 40 new residents in both the Phase I expansion and the trailers of Gospel Village.
Because of the financial support we’ve received in recent years, we are able to provide new housing opportunities for the chronically homeless that didn’t exist before. Opportunities that only exist at Gospel Village, where isolation is challenged, and a supportive community is fostered.
Mike was one of the first neighbors to move in. You might remember Mike from the letter we sent at Easter. Mike lived in a borrowed, broken-down Dodge Durango and stored his personal items in some thick brush on a nearby vacant lot.
One day, Mike was homeless. The next day, (pictured above), Mike was homeless no more.
He spent his first night in his new home after this most recent 3-year span of homelessness came to an end in one day.
Mike expresses extreme gratitude and often says, “ I feel like I’ve won the lottery.”