HOPE Family Shelters was recognized this week as a California Assembly Non-Profit of the Year by Assembly District 9 member Heath Flora.

That said, the Manteca based non-profit isn’t resting on its laurels.

Given they are turning down an average of 30 unhoused families a month, they are moving forward with a multi-million project to add apartments, a large counseling room and support offices in a new two-story building proposed next to the existing shelter on Yosemite Avenue at Sequoia Avenue.

HOPE has secured a $140,000 grant from the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors to cover the cost of architectural drawings needed to build a second apartment complex building.

It is envisioned for where an adjoining house is now standing that the nonprofit was able to secure with the city’s help.

The plan is to tear the house down and replace it with a two-story 4,500-square-foot complex with nine apartment units.

Haggerty Construction is donating its services to demolish the house.

The non-profit is working on securing funding to construct the two-story structure.

 “We are humbled by the Assembly honor,” HOPE Family Shelters CEO Cecily Ballungay said.

This also marks Ballungay’s 10th year as CEO of the organization founded 30 years ago.
During her tenure, Ballungay has played a part in helping in excess of 2,000 members of families— most of them children — that were homeless get back on track.

“Families are the bedrock of a community,” Ballungay said.

She noted forces that work against families can be addiction, loss of jobs, health issues and such — the same maladies that can lead to being homeless.

Last year, 89 families were housed in HOPE Ministries’ three shelters for three months at a time.

That represents 227 individuals of which 60 percent or 136 were children.

And when 52 percent of those families left the guidance and care of HOPE Family Shelters they went directly into rental housing they were able to secure financially on their own.

That success rate is almost triple of what most shelters experience when people they assist temporarily move on.  

One reason for the high success rate is the fact HOPE Ministries operates what is considered a high barrier shelter. That means those they help must be drug and alcohol free when they enter the program and stay that way.

If they stumble, they are out on the street. That said, people are given a second chance to return to the program if they stop using.

The bottom line is it forces most to realize that they are putting drugs and/or alcohol, ahead of their children.

Robust case management that includes working with clients to help them to make better financial decisions, working on behavioral factors that contributed to them ending up being homeless, along with mentoring for life skills make a major difference.

Many often have jobs when they become homeless but due to money managing skills or other issues, end up  not being able to cover all costs including rent.

Overall, HOPE Ministries has helped more than 5,700 people since they first opened their doors.

If you can help donate supplies that run the gamut from cleaning supplies to linens, call Ballungay at (209) 824-0658 or go to hopefamilyshelters.org.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com