Five Questions With: Jean Johnson

Jean Johnson, executive director and founder of House of Hope Community Development Corp. since 1989, advocates for Rhode Island’s homeless. The nonprofit serves more than 1,200 individuals and families annually. Here she discusses how the mission is implemented.

PBN: How does your organization counsel the homeless in ways that help them regain housing and remain stable?
JOHNSON:
House of Hope helps homeless people wherever they are: on the street, in our shelters and in our day programs, always with the goal of leading them towards housing. Even after they’ve moved into permanent housing, we continue to help them adjust to their new circumstances.
For some people, a little direction and safe place to stay while they find a job, address a health concern, adjust their medication is all that is needed. For others, this can mean months or years of engagement and advocacy, just to begin a real conversation about addressing the chronic conditions behind their homelessness. It doesn’t matter how long it takes – we never give up on anyone.

PBN: How many people annually make use of the Harrington Hall shelter and how does the nonprofit cope when you’re at capacity?
JOHNSON:
Harrington Hall, at the state’s Pastore Center in Cranston, is the largest shelter in Rhode Island, serving approximately 1,100 adult men annually; each night, we shelter 130 to 155 men. Our 128 bunk beds fill quickly after the shelter opens at 5 p.m. And because the shelter doesn’t turn anyone away, overflow guests sleep on floor mats. With a limited state budget, it is a challenge to provide warm meals, blankets, personal care needs and proper staffing, especially during severe weather conditions. That we are able to do so is a tribute to the commitment and skill of our staff and the support of a caring community.

PBN: A $200,000 Bank of America grant will launch the “Kitchen Initiative for Meals and Jobs.” How soon will it be operating and how will it help?
JOHNSON:
After years of planning and months of renovations to Harrington Hall, we are ready to launch a full-service day program – offering education, housing counseling, health and wellness programs and employment training. The bank’s Neighborhood Builders grant will fund our food services jobs program.
Starting in early 2016 and centered in a new, commercial-grade kitchen, the program will be directed by a chef/educator. Homeless men and women will operate the kitchen and dining area – preparing shelter meals, while developing skills leading to restaurant and similar jobs.
Later, we plan to open a related lunchtime cafeteria serving the Pastore complex workforce. Paying jobs, or course, are a major factor in the ability of homeless men and women to find permanent homes.
PBN: What numbers of your clients gain access to permanent, affordable and rental housing?
JOHNSON:
In the past year, House of Hope served 1,430 homeless people throughout our state. Of these, 1,162 stayed at shelters we manage at Harrington Hall and in Pawtucket, North Providence, Providence and Warwick.
We helped 105 of our clients, some of whom had been homeless for long periods, move into more stable homes: 56 went to market-rate apartments; 32 found homes in public or other kinds of subsidized housing; and 17 moved into “permanent supportive” apartments, where they lived independently, with access to ongoing counseling. During our 26 years, we have purchased and renovated numerous properties to add the state’s affordable housing stock; we currently have a total of 39 living units in 14 buildings, which during the past year were home to 80 adults and children. We also have rehabilitated eight homes that we sold to low and moderate income owners at below-market rates.
Since the state began a rental subsidy to house the most vulnerable homeless population two years ago, we’ve helped 200 individuals move into homes. Our “housing stabilization” program in the past year worked with 114 formerly chronically homeless individuals and 16 families, helping them stay in their new homes.

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PBN: What can Rhode Islanders do to help with homelessness as the holiday season nears?
JOHNSON:
The holiday season provides many opportunities to help the homeless. For example, we provide gift cards, clothing, personal care and other essential items as gifts to our clients; so donated goods are appreciated, along with volunteers to wrap gift packages. You can find details of how to help at our website, www.thehouseofhopecdc.org.
At House of Hope, we also consider the holiday season an important time to remember that homelessness is an urgent and critical issue throughout the year for Rhode Island’s more than 4,000 homeless children, men and women. Thus, it’s a good time to commit ourselves to supporting effective public policies and programs, along with our own and other charitable agencies, which are dedicated to ending homelessness in Rhode Island.

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