DOOR OF HOPE

The purpose of Door of Hope is to help families break free from generations of abuse and violence, poverty and homelessness. Achieving this goal requires time and a highly specialized response to meet the unique and diverse needs of each family. To meet these needs, Door of Hope developed a comprehensive continuum of holistic care which includes case management, pastoral care, mental health counseling, job placement and training, financial literacy and budgeting, life skills classes, after-school tutoring and arts and recreational activities for the children and youth, housing location assistance, and follow-up care. Services equip families with the necessary tools to foster long-term life change including physical, emotional and spiritual health, along with financial stability, housing, and follow-up support after graduation from the program.

Door of Hope provides a hand of compassion, a safety-net for families in crisis. Providing a safe place to call home, food, and access to a comprehensive portfolio of recovery services, Door of Hope helps families create a fresh start for themselves and their children—equipping them with the tools needed to move from crisis to stability, jobs and housing.

Serving the whole community without discrimination, more than 45 families (including over 100 children) are served each year through DOH programs. The population represents the ethnic diversity of Southern California—and includes two-parent and single father families (at the Los Robles site); single mothers (at the Villa site); and single mothers who are victims of domestic violence (at the Glendale site). Those we serve are financially destitute, oftentimes deeply depressed, exhausted, and stressed—having been on the move constantly—from family, to friends, to motels, to shelters and cars. Some come with a number of legal issues that are holding them back, others face physical or mental health barriers, and others are escaping an abusive relationship. But what they all have in common is a heartfelt desire to find a safe place for their children to live and for the chance to get their own lives back on track again.

Program evaluation remains an important part of Door of Hope's protocols. Quantitative measurements including individualized goals and objectives established by families are tracked by their case managers, with benchmarks and milestones recorded (confidentially) in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Outcomes are documented by case management and Rapid Re-housing staff and logged on the HMIS system in the notes section after each case management session. Progress is reviewed on a weekly and monthly basis.