Stories from our Residents:
Bill's Story

"Hope has taught me to just be myself and let God dwell in me. I'm so much more understanding of other people. I never understood kindness but the staff at Hope really model that to me. This whole life is new to me. I'm sober and I get to truly live for the first time. It's all new and scary, but I love it. I've always wanted peace and now I finally have it."

read more from bill

Stories from our Residents:
Robert's Story

"Before I came to Hope it was a very difficult time in my life. I lost my family and when that was taken away I felt so alone and empty. The holidays didn't fill me with joy because something was missing and I had no one to belong to. When I came to Hope I met a lot of other people who were in similar situations and it was good to know that I wasn't the only one who felt alone in this world. What got me through the holiday season last year was being at Hope and reaching out to my Hope family. It felt good to see so many people I didn't even know come to Hope and volunteer their time to make our Christmas special. They made us laugh and feel comfortable and loved – like we were at home."

read more from robert

Stories from our Residents:
Kiara's Story

"When I was younger, I sometimes walked past Hope with my mother. I had no idea that someday I would come here and find so much healing. I came to Hope due to family circumstances that kept me from finding stability and safety for me and my children. My plan wasn't to stay here long, but since I've been here I've grown and learned so much more about Christ."

read more from kiara

Stories from our Residents:
Mary's Story

"I have a problem with drugs and alcohol. I’ve had a lot of abuse in my life and I started my addiction with alcohol and then became addicted to drugs. I was so lost – for years and years – I was out there and lost. I knew I needed help and that I couldn’t get better by myself. When I got to Hope, I was so happy to be here."

read more from mary

Stories from our Residents:
Aaron's Story

"Out of all the brothers and sisters I have, I was the child that my mama didn’t pay attention to. It was like that Cinderella story where all the brothers and sisters got to do things while the one child was pushed away and did all the house tasks. I did a lot of cooking for a child my age. At one point, I got injured by a pressure cooker. My mom asked me to check the food and I lifted the top of the cooker and it exploded on me. I had third degree burns on my legs, but no one took me to the hospital. I felt very depressed as a child. I felt like I had to be the grown up –caring for the babysitting and household tasks. My bedroom was in the attic all by myself. One thing after another made me feel like I wasn’t wanted and I kept wondering if I really belonged here.

read more from Aaron

Stories from our Residents:
Angie's Story

"For most of the 20 years before I came to Hope Ministries, my life was an on-going horror story filled with drugs, crime, gangs, lies and pain.
For a while I ran a strip club where I had 15 girls working for me. I would take the girls down to Dallas, Texas and pimp them out - I got 80% of their earnings and they would get 20%. I used that money to get through college. I was also using cocaine and Methamphetamine so I could stay up all night to run the club and stay awake during the day to get through my classes. I graduated from college, but my addiction kept me from finding a legitimate job."

read more from Angie

Stories from our Residents:
Dorothy's Story

"When I was born, my parents were not married. I was one of 3 kids and we were all neglected and malnourished. My dad was in and out of my life – he kidnapped us multiple times and finally took us away from my mom. One of my first memories was being in an RV and wanting so badly to be loved and belong to someone. The only person I felt loved by was my grandma, and I remember wishing I could be with her. I was really young when I started being molested by my grandpa. I remember when those things happened and how I felt dead on the inside. Then I started being molested by my step brother. It continued until..."

read more from Dorothy

Stories from our Residents:
Kevin's Story

"I came to Hope after being incarcerated for 30 years. I wanted to be near my daughter and grandchildren and build a better relationship with them. Here at Hope, I’ve gained a new family. When I got here, I only had the clothes on my back but now I have plenty of clothes, food, a church family, and a Hope family."

read more from Kevin

Stories from our Residents:
Nadia's Story

"Before I came to Hope, I was raped by a man I trusted and became pregnant and had a son. I hated that man, and I hated my son. I decided to keep the baby, and came to Hope a little over a year ago.
I was so broken, and lived my life in a shell – trying to keep people away from me so they couldn’t hurt me. I’d sit in meetings at Hope with a hood over my head and didn’t like to look at people – especially men."

read more from Nadia

Stories from our Residents:
Renee's Story

"When I came to Hope in February of 2014 I was alone, desperate and depressed. I suffer from major reoccurring depression. I was receiving disability for that, but all my money went to my crack addiction. I had no hope, and believed there was no light at the end of the tunnel."

read more from Renee