Hope House of Central Louisiana

Hope House taught my children and myself how to be the best we can be.

Thanks to Hope House I have ownership of my life back and my children have never been happier.

I cannot tell the community how lucky they are to have Hope House.

I thank God for the people at Hope House.

I learned so much at Hope House and learned better ways to manage my time and money.

I do not know where to begin. My name is Mary and I am 30 years old. I am a recovering addict. I have been clean for 4 years now thanks to Hope House. I was sent to Hope House from drug court. I did not want to be there at first. No one likes to be homeless and no one likes to live in a house with 30 other women and children. That changed after I was there one week. Hope House residents are like a family and work together like a family – helping one another and sharing with one another. I now have many sisters. Growing up as an only child I was left with one relative after another as my mother was an alcoholic. I do not know who my father is and probably never will. I began drinking when I was 8 years old. No one cared. My mother would scream at me and tell me I was worthless, an accident, and that I should have never been born. I started to believe that as I heard it day in and day out. So, it was no surprise that I turned to the streets where I felt a sense of belonging in some strange way. I began using drugs when I was 12 years old and continued until 4 years ago. Hope House was a saving grace for me during my recovery. They taught me self discipline and I am proud to say that "NO" is a powerful word. I have learned to say no, no, no to drugs and alcohol. I still see a doctor as my liver was in bad shape. Hope House also helped me get my teeth fixed as drugs were killing my teeth and my whole body. I learned so much while at Hope House and I can never repay the people that work there. They are the closest thing to a family I have ever known. They empowered me to be me and to not be ashamed of my past. I now live for today and work on goals for the future. I have a good job and have actually met someone who may make my life complete. I am engaged. I was honest about my past and he supports me in all of my recovery efforts. I never thought anyone would care for me. Hope House is a place that I say God put there as one of his earth stepping stones to foster faith and hope. The program at Hope House is tough but if you are willing to make changes in your life you will succeed in every area. I thank God for the people at Hope House. They run a tight ship and empower you and hold you accountable for your actions and behaviors. I needed that in my life so badly. So, now I have a great job, my own apartment and I'm coming full circle with my goals. I would have ended up dead if the drug court had not sent me to Hope House. I cannot tell the community how lucky they are to have Hope House. Homeless women and their children would have no hope if it were not for Hope House. They are the shining example of what hope and hard work can do!!

Hello, my name is Janie. I became homeless because I just could not make ends meet earning minimum wage. I was evicted two years ago and I cannot describe the feeling of hopelessness that my three children and I felt. I had no family support and we ended up on the street with no place to go. We slept in my car night after night. My children were scared to death at night and so was I. My daughter is 4, my son is 6 and my youngest is 18 months. Four years ago their father left and we have not heard from him since the day he left. He told me that he just did not want to be married any longer and that he was moving to Michigan. I have not seen or heard from him since. I struggled to make ends meet. I tried hard but there was never enough money to go around. I became depressed, too. Then a police officer came upon us sleeping in the car in the park and he told me I had to leave. I was afraid but told him I really had no place to go. He told me about Hope House. He even called Hope House for me. The next morning I was able to talk to the Case Manager at Hope House and although Hope House really did not have room for me, they made room because they did not want my three children sleeping in the car on the street. My life changed forever that morning. Hope House has the best staff in the world because they really do care about their residents. I learned so much at Hope House and learned better ways to manage my time and my money. My children participated in their children's program and they are different children today because Mrs. Carlet is awesome with all the children. She teaches them so many things that help them become successful in all that they do. I do not know what would have happened to me if Hope House had not taken me in. The police officer told me that my children could be taken from me if I could not provide a roof for them. Hope House gives hope to the hopeless and they empower women and children toward success. I completed their program and now have my own place to live again and am now have the skills I need to be able to stay independent. I even learned some new skills at Hope House that helped me get a promotion on my job so that I earn more pay now. I never knew I could learn so many new things but Hope House gave me my confidence back and I am not depressed any more. I commend Hope House because they have a strong program and the strongest leader I have ever met in my life. Ms. Sandy Ray is at the top of my book. She is tough, straight forward and has a talent for motivating others in ways that make you want to just get up and shout, "I can do this!!". Thanks to Hope House I have the ownership of my life back and my children have never been happier. Their grades in school are better than ever. They want to do good and Hope House taught them and me how to be the best that we can be. God Bless Hope House. The community is lucky to have Hope House for without them many would have no place to go and remain hopeless.