Imagine finding out that your landlord is selling your home and you don’t have time or money to find a new place to stay. Or you and your children needed to leave a tough situation and now you are on your own. Or you lost your job and have been financially underwater enough that you just can’t get back on your feet. These are stories of real community members who have found solace at Hope House, Greenfield’s homeless shelter serving Hancock, Shelby, Rush and Henry Counties. Hope House provides hope to a community in need.

A place for hope to shine through acts of love and support

Hope House works tirelessly to help our homeless friends and neighbors. As a shelter, they provide a home for those without and in exchange residents help with chores and other daily tasks. But it doesn’t stop there. Hope House wants to help those who are homeless to get back on their feet and provide mentoring to those who need help financially, looking for employment and more. They want to help families and individuals to reach long term solutions to their temporary housing insufficiencies.

Hope House is a safe environment that requires those staying under its roof to meet criteria, such as being drug and alcohol free and have no charges of violent or sexual offenses. Its doors are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to adults as well as children and they provide about 4,000 nights of shelter to those in need in our area every year.

Thrifty ways to provide hope

Hope House runs a thrift store attached to the shelter, something that they find indispensable in helping them to fund their programming. By donating gently used clothing and other items, community members help to stock the thrift store with merchandise which, in turn, is sold to the public. They also offer weekly specials to entice bargain or treasure hunters to come and take a peek:

  • Wednesdays – 50% off clothing
  • Thursdays – Education days with 30% off for teachers, bus drivers, students and school employees
  • Fridays – Senior day with 25% off store wide for those 55 and older
  • Every day – Veterans, active duty service members, fire and police save 25%
  • 1st Saturday of each month is 50% off store wide

Find out about the Hope House Thrift Store hours of operation and more by heading over to their website.

Looking for more ways to help out at Hope House?

Helping out at Hope House means putting time and effort into supporting those who find themselves without sufficient shelter. It is something that could happen to any of us, and it is important to support our community members going through a tough time. There are a plethora of volunteer and donation opportunities for those who are interested in helping out this season:

  • Donate money to help find their programming and keep Hancock County’s homeless population safe and warm this winter.
  • Check their supply wish list to find out what they need. Some popular items include bedding, towels, soap, trash bags and more.
  • Volunteer as a mentor to help residents in the areas of parenting, finances, cooking and job preparation.
  • Work as a volunteer in the thrift store sorting, cleaning, organizing, merchandising and more.
  • For younger volunteers, join the Hope House Youth Board, a student-led organization that encourages youth to become more active within their community.
  • Stay up to date with annual events and opportunities to attend fundraisers for Hope House.

Hope House is a vital establishment in our community, helping those who find themselves homeless to take shelter during their personal storms. Find a way to donate this holiday season to help support your neighbors and friends in need.