Hope House of Colorado has been a safe place for teen moms. With two-thirds living below the poverty line and many facing homelessness and abuse, teen moms and their children often struggle to find a way out of their situation.
Since its establishment in 2003, Hope House has been the only organization in metro Denver that provides self-sufficiency programs for teen moms, offering safe housing, continuing education support, family counseling and childcare services. But it quickly outgrew its 2,200-square-foot Resource Center. After a two-year capital campaign to build a facility large enough to serve more than triple the number of people, Hope House was still $1 million short.
That’s when Meritage Homes stepped in. The company created the Meritage Cares Foundation to give back to the areas where they build. “Hope House has done so much to better the lives of teen moms and their children,” says Rusty Crandall, Division President of Meritage Homes Colorado. “Helping was a no-brainer.”
Partnering with HomeAid Colorado, Meritage® took on the role of volunteer builder captain for the new Resource Center. This included managing construction and working with suppliers and partners to provide in-kind labor and materials. According to Lisa Steven, Founder and Executive Director of Hope House, this allowed them to fill the $1 million funding gap and move forward with the project.
After breaking ground in 2017, the 15,000-square-foot Resource Center opened its doors in September 2019 with improvements that will allow Hope House to reach more teen moms.
Counseling services, which had been conducted in a supply closet due to space limitations, are now in a separate office and an additional therapy room. The new facility also includes a computer lab, a kitchen and a dining area with space to teach cooking and nutritional classes, a community room, and a children’s play area. And the new Learning Lab, providing GED, college and career training, is 2,500 square feet, eclipsing the size of the old building by itself.
“It’s incredible what Hope House has been able to accomplish here in Colorado,” says Crandall. “It’s been an honor to partner with this extraordinary organization and help provide a facility that’s worthy of the work they do in our community.”
Meritage is now working with Hope House on phase two of this project, which involves the construction of an Early Learning Center and childcare facility at the same site. It is scheduled to open by 2020. For more information, visit https://www.hopehousecolorado.org/.
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