Who We Are

Mission

Our mission is to empower low income families with children in Washington, DC to create stable homes for themselves and to make lasting changes in their lives.

Vision

Our vision is a Washington, DC in which all families are housed, growing stronger and contributing to the life of their community.

History

Hope and a Home got its start as a program of For Love of Children and the effort to find nurturing homes for 900 children who were crowded into Junior Village, Washington, DC’s orphanage. Many of these children had been removed from their families because their parents lacked adequate housing. The need was pressing.

We transformed 8 vacant properties in the Columbia Heights neighborhood into 18 affordable apartments and we developed a program of comprehensive support that has enabled hundreds of parents and children to achieve permanent housing, educational success, rewarding work, and family stability. In 2001, we expanded our work to reach residents living in subsidized housing in the Shaw neighborhood, where our office is now located.

In 2005, we launched Hope and a Home as an independent non-profit organization. Having served as our Program Manager for twenty years, Mike Young became Hope and a Home’s Executive Director.

Core Beliefs

Every child has the right to achieve his or her potential, and a healthy, loving family is the best place to nurture that potential. We focus on the whole family, with children as a priority.

People have an innate capacity to learn, grow, and change. We promote excellent education to develop self-awareness, new skills, and mutual understanding.

Change happens in the context of relationships. We foster honest, caring, and respectful relationships among children, parents, staff, and volunteers.

Stable housing, educational success, rewarding work, and a connection to one’s community are invaluable to every family’s development. We embrace a holistic approach as the most effective way to achieve lasting change for children and their families.

Affordable housing strengthens families and builds diverse neighborhoods. We operate and promote affordable housing for low income and homeless families.

Underutilized resources in our community can be tapped to develop strong and vibrant neighborhoods that benefit all residents. We build community by organizing opportunities for individuals to develop their personal gifts and to exchange those gifts with others.