About HOPE Connections
HOPE connects the agencies and organizations providing an array of needed housing and services to those experiencing homelessness. We do this by serving as the lead agency of the homeless system or Continuum of Care (CoC), which we refer to as the Homeless Coalition.
HOPE also connects those experiencing homelessness to the amazing agencies and organizations providing the housing and services they so desperately need.
We do this by providing services directly to those experiencing homelessness
that serve as the front door to the homeless system.
HOPE Connections serves two very important roles in
the system of homeless services in Northwest Louisiana.
We believe
that most people do not choose homelessness if they are aware of the help available.
Homelessness is a circumstance created by:
-
Life events beyond a person's control
-
Complex issues such as domestic violence, chronic health conditions, severe mental illness, addiction, physical limitations, and developmental limitations
Wesley Meacham
Toree Taylor
Tom Chavanne
Tate Kendall
Tamara Carter
Tanner Kendall
Sylvia McMullen
Monique Bryant
Marshall Merritt
Ja'Carie Guice
Public Relations Coordinator
Daniel Cordell
Danae Vaughn
Hope Connections Team
without whom, others would be lost
How It All Started
HOPE Connections began as HOPE for the Homeless in the early 1990s as a small coalition created by various community leaders to work collaboratively to prevent and end homelessness in the Northwest Louisiana Region. For many years, dedicated volunteers worked together to convene funding, create and follow policies, and incorporate national best-practices among diverse agencies, organizations, and individuals working together on the common objective to end homelessness. In 1994, HUD introduced a formalized model of “grant funding and supportive services” referred to as the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC). Continuums of Care around the country organized as prescribed by HUD to leverage local funding and resources to obtain Federal funding appropriated under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
HOPE incorporated its coalition in 2001 and became an IRS recognized 501(C)3 non-profit organization in 2003. The HOPE CoC Homeless Coalition is now run by the CoC Board of Directors, has an Executive Director, and has over 40 member agencies and organizations who meet regularly and are actively engaged in seeking collaborative solutions to homelessness. The HOPE CoC predominantly operates in the metropolitan area of Shreveport-Bossier City, but also covers the seven (7) most northwest parishes in Louisiana: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Red River, and Webster.