Project Hope for the Homeless is creating immense transformations
By Mary Malik
At Project Hope for the Homeless in Painesville, the holidays are a time of reflection and gratitude. Christmas can be filled with reminders of a challenging past and uncertain future. But the last 30 years at Project Hope for the Homeless have been filled with transformations for so many who have faced those difficult challenges. With the help and dedication of the staff and community partners here, those same people have moved on toward a hope-filled future.
“We see immense transformations every day,” says Executive Director Judy Burr. “Our guests are facing the lowest point in their lives, but this is a blessed place and remarkable things can happen when people are offered the dignity and respect they deserve.”
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Project Hope for the Homeless serves approximately 500 guests each year, and no one knows what it took to get here better than Judy. When the Catholic Commission of Lake and Geauga Counties was searching for a solution to the homeless problem in Lake County, serving as outreach coordinator at the time, Judy and her team were housing 25 people in the winter months temporarily in hotels and local churches. In search of a permanent home, Judy was denied 60 times. With no one giving them a chance, she prayed.
“Then my phone rang,” Judy says. “A trustee representing Bishop Roderick Alan Coffee I and Union Community Church offered me a tour of 25 Freedom Rd. Was it a sign? Twenty-five representing the 25 people we housed offering them ‘freedom’ from homelessness? It was an answer to that prayer, and we moved in December of 2000.”
Project Hope became a year-round shelter five years later and today provides 50 beds each night for 38 single adults and 12 guests in the Families Moving Forward program. Programs also include aftercare support, Senior Care Hope House, a three-unit transitional housing program for homeless seniors, and Welcome Home for guests transitioning to permanent housing.
Today, Judy, together with Community Engagement Director John Hutchison, the Project Hope for the Homeless board, community partners and countless volunteers, are looking to the future.
“We show people what we can do for them, and they see that we are genuine in our actions and hopes for them and they respond,” says Judy. “We hope to build on that to include the aging homeless population and see the same level of success.”
In 2022, that success saw eighty-six percent of the guests transition to their own housing within an average stay of 30 days.
“We offer much more than a place to sleep,” says Judy. “Our guests spend their days off site receiving social services, educational workshops, employment readiness and more. Once someone’s basic needs are met, it’s amazing what they become capable of.”
One example of that is Billy Walter, a Project Hope for the Homeless guest from more than 15 years ago.
“I was the lowest point in my life when I found Project Hope for the Homeless,” says Billy. “I was an addict living on the street, sleeping in cars, not knowing where my next meal was coming from. This place saved my life.”
Billy describes his experience with Project Hope for the Homeless as the place that gave him the tools to engage in life again by introducing him to the love and comfort of Jesus Christ.
“Through Bible study, Project Hope for the Homeless shed light on the gospels for me and I accepted it,” says Billy. “The staff and volunteers loved me when I couldn’t love myself.”
Today, Billy is a married father working in management and operations at a Lake County company and serves as an elder at his church and as a trustee on the board of Project Hope for the Homeless.
“It’s a blessing to give back,” says Billy. “I offer my voice as a representative of the homeless. I walked in those shoes and got to the other side with the love and dedication of everyone here. I am blessed.”
Judy credits the environment at Project Hope for the Homeless and its local partnerships that provide the resources to change lives.
“It’s been trial and error, but God has guided us,” says Judy. “One past Christmas at an aftercare gathering, people shared that their greatest Christmas memory was their time here at the shelter. With God as our foundation, this has been blessed work from the beginning.”
There are many ways to help Project Hope for the Homeless continue its mission through volunteering, financial and supply donations and more. If you’d like to include Project Hope for the Homeless in your end-of-year giving plans, see the contact information in italics.
Project Hope for the Homeless is located at 25 Freedom Rd., (P.O. Box 2035), in Painesville Township. For more information, ways to help, and a list of current needs, check the website ProjectHopeForTheHomeless.org or call 440-354-6417.
Wish List*
Please consider donating to Project Hope for the Homeless. Here are items currently on the wish list:
General items:
- 13- and 33-gallon garbage bags
- General purpose cleaners, either in spray bottles or gallon form
- Paper towels
- 10-12oz. styrofoam coffee cups
Personal items:
- Deodorant
- Chapstick
- Toothpaste
- L and XL T-shirts
- Fitted Sheets
Food & beverage items:
- Bottled water-16 oz.
- Regular and decaf coffee
- Sugar
- Lunch chips
Gift cards:
- Giant Eagle, Meijer and Sheetz gift and gas cards.
*Health and safety standards require items to be new and unused.