GREENFIELD – As part of a group that donates to the Hancock Hope House on a weekly basis, Linda Salyers wanted to get a closer look at the homeless shelter that’s served the community for 33 years.
On Thursday afternoon, she was among the many who took part in the annual fall tour of the shelter, at 35 E. Pierson St. Greenfield.
Held around Halloween each year, the tour provides a glimpse into how hundreds of men, women and children have benefited from the transitional housing facility since it opened Oct. 10, 1991.
Staff members, many dressed in costume, led guests through the 36-bed facility from 4-7 p.m. Thursday.
Steve Wicker, the shelter’s Support Staff Team Lead, chatted up a current resident while leading a tour through the Hope House kitchen while dressed as Mario.
“I almost didn’t recognize you,” the resident said with a chuckle.
Taylor Vester, program director at the Hope House, said the annual tour was a great way to showcase the Hope House for the public.
“We do it so that our donors, board members and community members can get a feel for what we do. I think it gives a view of what really goes on, in that a lot of the people you see housed here are just typical people that you’d see on an everyday basis,” she said.
As of Thursday, the Hope House was serving as the temporary home to nine men, seven women and several children.
“We are completely full in our family rooms. We have a single mom with five kiddos, a single mom with two kiddos, and a single dad with two kiddos,” said Vester, who meets with each resident weekly to review a plan for their personal goals and future success.
Karen Newell, who took over as executive director at Hope House in March, after serving as program director since 2022, said she was thrilled to see so many people turn out for tours Thursday.
This year’s tour allowed supporters to meet the nonprofit’s new leadership team, she said.
Since tracking residents through the Homeless Management Information System in 2024, Newel said the shelter has served more than 1,000 men, women and children.
With a capacity of 35 beds, the shelter has operated at or very near capacity since the beginning of 2023, she said.
Newell said the rising cost of housing, and inflation in general has impacted the people who come to the shelter for housing.
“The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Greenfield is about $1,000 per month,” she said. “What we have found is that residents work the program and find employment, pay down debts, and save money to move out, but then struggle to find housing within the community that they can afford long term.”
The economy has also impacted the average length of stay for residents, among both single residents and families, she said.
“The high cost of groceries, essential items and gas impact how much a resident can save while in our program to reenter the community with stability. Cost of living adjustments for programs such as SNAP have only increased a few dollars for maximum benefit amounts,” said Newel, who aid it takes longer for residents to successfully leave Hope House than it used to.
“We are seeing a rise in mental and physical health issues coupled with a lack of a personal network of support and structure,” she said.
“In addition to connecting residents with community resources, we have been able to utilize grant funding to provide individual therapy to alleviate the underlying issues that can lead to homelessness. We are working on making this a permanent part of programming.”
Newell is excited to have the Hope House partner with the Community Foundation of Hancock County next year through the foundation’s Level Up Grant program, through which the Hope House will focus on developing a strategic plan that will lay out a path for growth, which will include increasing the number of individuals served.
“We are excited to offer new opportunities to support the Hope House mission in 2025,” said Newell.
The nonprofit’s popular Hops 4 Hope tasting event is getting rebranded to Hope Fest, “which will offer the tasting experience that everyone is familiar with, but with added elements that will offer something for the whole family to enjoy,” she added. “And we are delighted to announce that we will be holding our first pickleball tournament in June of next year.”
Salyers – who was among the many who toured the Hope House on Thursday – was thankful to get a glimpse inside the Hancock County homeless shelter that has provided a helping hand to so many over the years.
She’s a member of the Lively Lassies home economics club, which donates to the Hope House each month.
“I’ve been in the thrift shop and been to the office but I’ve never been back here. It’s very nice. I think they’re doing a wonderful job with this palace,” she said mid-tour.
For more information on the Hancock Hope House program, visit hancockhopehouse.org.
