Home of Hope

Since 1987, Home of Hope has worked to end the cycle of homelessness in Gwinnett County. Home of Hope serves families experiencing homelessness by supporting them through a transitional living program, educational classes, financial planning, and career preparation. Mothers and children who take part in the program participate for three to twelve months before graduating and moving into a stable living situation.

Housing stability isn’t the end for families supported by Home of Hope. For most of these mothers, especially those with larger families, the biggest obstacle between their family and financial success isn’t the ability to land a job. It’s childcare. Childcare is needed for the mother to work, but the mother needs a job to fund the cost of childcare. Federal assistance for childcare can take as long as two months to process, leaving mothers unable to work. In 2021, Home of Hope was able to address this cyclical problem by creating a childcare program to better support the mothers they serve.

For one mother, this program allowed her to save both time and money by bringing her kids to one childcare location rather than several. “She was kind of in disbelief that someone would be able to assist her,” said Renita Pollard, Director of Operations. This mother had struggled to keep a job and obtain funding services for her four children, but because of Home of Hope, but because of Home of Hope, she was able to get quality care, which helped stabilize her family’s situation.

Thanks to your generosity during the 2022 Be Rich campaign, you didn’t just fund childcare for this family of five. You funded childcare for 27 families across Gwinnett County. Home of Hope was able to care for 75 children because of your support. Your generosity allowed mothers to start work immediately after finding a job rather than wait for federal aid. By filling this gap, mothers can lead their families toward financial stability.

“It’s like a lifeline for [these moms],” said Pollard of the childcare program. “They can’t work if they don’t have childcare. [This program] has been a real game changer for us.”

Thank you for showing these families that you’re FOR them!