Program & Team Spotlight: Hope House

Hope House Director Dominic Johnson and his team shared some recent highlights at Hope House:

Which team members or team updates would you like to recognize?

  • Property Manager Erica Surrell for her collaborative leadership and for increasing the agency’s rent collections in FY2023.
  • Clinical Treatment Coordinator Valerie Walker for her impeccable work ethic and efforts as we strive for excellence to improve service delivery for all clients.
  • House Manager Ralph Holmes for his willingness to support leadership in eliminating gaps in house management services while understaffed.
  • House Managers Micheal Bush and Andrew Midds for their leadership with the men of HH and their willingness to always go the extra mile to support their team.
  • Care Coordinator Katie Black for becoming the Shining Star recipient for the year and her work with the Deaf Bridges to Recovery (DBR) clients.
  • Lee Porter is transitioning to a new role; from House Manager to Care Coordinator.
  • Hope House is anticipating and looking forward to being more fully staffed by the end of the month.

Are there any notable program and service updates at Hope House?

  • A new program called “Oasis of Hope” has been made possible thanks to a five-year SAMHSA grant specifically for the offender re-entry population.
  • We are grateful for our strong volunteer partnerships including 12 Baskets Full, a faith-based organization, that will return to serve clients this month. Additionally, Hope House is collaborating with IBEW Union volunteers on some capital improvements, and with Central Presbyterian Church volunteers to complete some courtyard landscaping. The team is also grateful for its clothing closet that runs off donations from generous individuals, including CaringWorks team members and clients who understand the power of giving back.
  • Thanks to our community partners, Hope House continues to offer several long-standing programs that provide transformational support to clients. These include daily treatment groups, a monthly Job Readiness Program with Be The Change HR/Renewed Mindset Workforce Readiness, Financial Literacy with On The Rise Financial Center, and Justice Impacted groups with the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s office.
  • The DBR team is also collaborating with the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office to specifically meet the needs of Deaf and Hard Hearing clients. To better understand these needs, Dominic encourages CaringWorks team members to watch and share the documentary, “Through Deaf Eyes,” which you can watch HERE on YouTube.
  • Amid rising opioid use and deaths in our community and across the nation, Hope House leadership is working to schedule Narcan training for all clients and staff to mitigate the risks associated with opioid use.
  • We look forward to our upcoming Treatment Completion Ceremony this quarter.

Anything interesting about Hope House that other CaringWorks staff may not know?

  • Hope House opened in 2005 but prior to that, the land where it sits was once a parking lot used by unhoused individuals. Today we consider it “Holy Ground” and a place where men can come to learn how not to drag their past into their future!

February 2024

Posted in Program Spotlights