A filled refrigerator with food belonging to multiple residents. The Hope House has been running out of space. All or most of their housing units are occupied, and now they can’t take in new applicants. Monday, April, 10, 2023.
GREENFIELD — There’s not a lot of elbow room at the Hancock Hope House these days.
The county’s only homeless shelter is at full capacity for the first time since COVID forced the capacity to shrink three years ago.
“We’ve since gone back to regular capacity standards, but this is the first time we’ve been at capacity since then,” said Hope House Board President Philip Sheward, a local attorney.
Hope House, at 35 E. Pierson St. near downtown Greenfield, has been providing temporary housing for displaced children and adults since it was formed in 1991.
Executive director Andrea Mallory said the shelter — which houses for men, women and families in separate areas — has been nearly full for most of the past year.
As of Tuesday, April 11, the shelter was serving as the temporary home for 16 men, eight women and three families.
The downtown Greenfield facility features three dorm rooms for families which accommodate up to seven people per room, two female dorm rooms that can hold four women each and an open bunk-style room that houses up to 16 men.
Mallory said a number of factors have contributed to the high numbers at the shelter.
“There’s not just one thing,” she said.
An increasing number of people have turned to the shelter after learning about it due to social media and word of mouth, she said, which has grown in part thanks to partnerships with a number of local organizations like the Hancock County Jail and local hospitals, Healthy365, Firefly Children & Family Alliance, Talitha Koum House and the Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County.
The rising cost of living has also factored in, said Mallory, who said rent for a one-bedroom home in Hancock County is now roughly $900 per month.
“Hancock County does not have enough housing for the growth that we are currently experiencing,” she said. “Section 8 (subsidized housing) in Hancock County is limited and most of those who have vouchers have been on the waiting list for years.”
The Hope House board of directors is looking at ways to address the growing need, said Mallory, which will include having a structural engineer come in to assess what can be done with the current building.
“We are needing additional rooms for families and females, men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers and stalls, a larger kitchen area and additional office space to grow our team,” she said, adding that the Hope House Thrift Store — located in the same building as the shelter — also needs a larger parking lot and larger sorting room for donations.
In addition to exploring ways to address the need for more space, the board also recently began discussing ways to expand the staff and provide a before/after Hope House program within the next two to three years.
In the meantime, Sheward said the community can help by donating necessities like toilet paper, towel paper, cleaning products, bath towels and comforters for residents.
Supporters can also help by donating to and shopping at the thrift store and attending two upcoming fundraisers — the popular Hops 4 Hope beer tasting event on Aug. 12 and the Turkey Day 5K walk/run on Thanksgiving Day.
Monetary donations are always a huge help, said Mallory, as are employment and housing opportunities for those staying at the shelter.
“We need attainable housing for the working individuals making $12 to $15 an hour, as well as affordable daycare,” she said
Despite the current challenges, Mallory expressed thanks for those who continue to support the Hope House and its occupants throughout the year. “We could not do it without you,” she said.
For more information, visit HancockHopeHouse.org.
