H.E.A.R.T. – Women and Children

• On average, single men comprise 41% of the homeless populations, families with children 40%, single women 14% and unaccompanied minors 5%

• Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 13%

• 56% of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families - children and their parents
  
  (Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors report, December 2004)

The fastest growing segment of homeless is single parents with dependent children.  Eighty percent of these parents are women.

It’s a little-known fact, but it’s true: most shelters can only house a family in crisis for 2-3 weeks or up to 30 days.  On day 31, they’re on their own, and still in crisis. 

In fall 2004, Hope Ministries opened Hope Family Center—located at 3333 E. University Avenue in Des Moines—a Christ-centered long-term residential and life recovery program designed to restore hope to homeless mothers and their children.  At full capacity, we will be able to provide help for up to 48 women and their children (12-15 families).

Hope Ministries is grateful to the Greater Des Moines Remodeler’s Council for donating $150,000 of time, talent along with donated supplies from over 60 companies to renovate the basement of one of our houses into classrooms, children’s activity areas, meeting and classrooms, reception area and office space. 

Our director of family ministries oversees all aspects of the program and staff, which include a case manager, a children’s ministry coordinator, several shift supervisors providing round-the-clock staffing of the Center and numerous volunteers.

• OUR GOAL
• ESSENTIALS TO REAL LIFE CHANGE
• KEY ELEMENTS OF HOPE FAMILY CENTER
• RESIDENT TESTIMONIES AND STORIES
• A FUTURE WITH PURPOSE
• THE FACILITY
• LIFE-CHANGING PRINCIPLES
• THE H.E.A.R.T. RECOVERY PROGRAM
• DAILY STRUCTURE
• BIBLE STUDY, DEVOTIONS, WORSHIP DISCIPLINES
• FAMILY CENTER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
• HOPE FAMILY CENTER PHOTO ALBUM

Our Goal

The goal of the Hope Family Center is to love, encourage and motivate mothers and children to consider making significant life-change. 

Essentials to real life change include:

1. Having a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ

2. Understanding God’s Word, the Bible

3. Being in healthy relationships with others including accountability

4. Practicing introspective self-evaluation

5. Being equipped with life-skills

Key elements of Hope Family Center include:

1. A stable environment for children to thrive and parents to grow and heal.

2. A well-designed, faith-based, Christ-centered program that encourages responsibility and accountability, while providing the tools and life-skills necessary for real, measurable progress toward independence.

3. Individual living facilities for each family to promote family life and dignity with sufficient measures in place to ensure safety and security.

Resident’s Testimonies and Stories

A Future with Purpose

Hope Family Center guides homeless mothers and their children on a journey of hope called the H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program.  While in the H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program, families replace addiction, anger and confusion with Christ-centered tools that build maturity, and strength through these phases; healing, equipping, accountability, responsibility and transition.

Within the Center’s safe, clean environment, each family receives 24 hour care, and individualized case management.  During their 18-24 months on the program, moms overcome life-dominating habits; learn essentials such as growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and understanding God’s Word, the Bible; develop and manage healthy relationships; acquire self-evaluation and life-skills; and, set goals for a more stable future and a future of HOPE.

The facility:

Life-Changing Principles

Hope Family Center teaches and models biblically-based principles in order to help women and children be all that God intended them to be.

Hope Family Center provides a safe, clean environment, 24/7 staff, and individualized case management.  The program is designed for twelve months or longer.  It is expected that families commit to stay and complete the program. 

Our Purpose Is to Assist Women in the Following Areas:

1. Offer a variety of coursework with emphasis on spiritual development, recovery issues and, life-skills.

2. Introduce the basics of Christianity and the person of Jesus Christ.

3. Help them know and follow Christ by helping to establish a Biblical relationship with Him.

4. Help them develop a healthy Christ-like identity so they can establish healthy mutually supporting relationships.  Residents learn to live by the following characteristics:
   

   • Compassionate • Faithfulness • Forgiving • Gentleness • Goodness • Grace (undeserved love) • Joyfulness • Kindness • Longsuffering (patiently endures wrongs or difficulties) • Loving • Meekness / Humbleness • Mercifulness (undeserved forgiveness) • Patient • Peacefulness • Perseverance • Self-control • Thankful

5. Establish a care plan, which will identify their personal goals.
   

6. Help them move toward accepting personal responsibility for their actions.
   
   

Children’s Ministry

Scripture states that children are a gift from the Lord; therefore, we will provide the following support ministry for children: 

The H.E.A.R.T. Recovery Program

Program Components

Residents are provided opportunities to learn and grow in five basic areas thereby giving them a foundation on which to build a new life.

1. Spiritual Development (includes but not limited to)
   • Bible classes
   • Church attendance
   • Mentoring support
   
   
2. Recovery/Counseling (includes but not limited to)
   • Individual counseling
   • Support groups
   • Relapse prevention classes
   • Relationship classes
   • Conflict management
   • Addiction recovery
   
   
3. Life Skills (includes but not limited to)
   • Parenting
   • Financial management to include spending and savings plan
   • Physical health/hygiene
   • Housekeeping
   • Nutrition/Cooking
   
   
4. Educational Development and Employment
   • Educational assessment
   • GED certification or High School diploma
   • Vocational/technical or higher learning
   • Job search (upon completion of educational goal or program)
   • Employment is discouraged during the first 60 days.
   • Employment is allowed only if it does not interfere with other program activities and only after individual educational goals have been achieved.
   
   
5. Individualized Case Management
   • Weekly case management meetings
   • Basic needs assessment
   • Establish care plan to include mid- and long-term goal setting
   • Identification of support team

Daily structure:

•  The first four months in program:

•  At month five, program classes move to one day a week and women either begin working on their GED, attending continuing education classes / college, or working part-time

•  Children go to school or off-site daycare

•  Daily bedroom checks are conducted during their first nine months to help establish good housekeeping skills

•  Families have daily Home Care chores to maintain their community living space

•  Residents conduct a weekly house meeting and attend community meetings twice a week

Bible study, devotions, worship disciplines:

•  All classes/program elements are required whether it’s the spiritual development track, or the recovery or life-skills tracks.

•  Their first four months, staff and volunteers do daily devotions in a class setting. The goal is to begin to build a foundation of the discipline but also to teach different techniques.

•  After four months, our mothers are required to lead / attend devotions with each other three times weekly and then do devotions on their own the other days.

•  Our mothers are required to find a church home within their first month and then attend weekly.

•  As mothers mature in their faith, they are encouraged to expand their study of God’s Word, daily prayer, Christian fellowship and outreach.

Hope Family Center Volunteer Opportunities

We have numerous volunteer opportunities at our Family Center.  We encourage you to review the list by clicking here. 

Volunteer Application

Once you have reviewed the Hope Family Center volunteer opportunities, we invite you to complete an on-line volunteer application. CLICK HERE. 

Hope Family Center Photo Album

Third House to Open at Hope Family Center!

January 2008, Hope Ministries will open a third house to provide shelter for mothers with children at Hope Family Center!

“This will increase our occupancy to 12-15 families and allow us to bring healing to more women than ever,” says Elizabeth Spragg, director of family ministries. Here, Elizabeth shows off the new house’s shady porch and beautiful landscaping. “It’s just waiting for a family to move in!”

To schedule a tour of Hope Family Center and learn more about needs for our new house,
call (515) 265-7272. Thanks for making this beautiful new “home” available to hurting mothers and their children!

Cargill grant boosts educational opportunities for women at Hope Family Center