Johnson leaves position as House of Hope executive director

JEAN M. JOHNSON is stepping down as executive director of the House of Hope Community Development Corp. in Warwick, a position she has held for 27 years. / COURTESY HOUSE OF HOPE
JEAN M. JOHNSON is stepping down as executive director of the House of Hope Community Development Corp. in Warwick, a position she has held for 27 years. / COURTESY HOUSE OF HOPE

WARWICK – Jean M. Johnson left her position as the longtime executive director of the House of Hope Community Development Corp.

Johnson, along with other concerned citizens, founded the organization as a small shelter in a converted Warwick schoolhouse in 1989. It has grown to become one of Rhode Island’s foremost organizations working to end homelessness.

For the past 27 years, Johnson has led House of Hope, which develops affordable housing and provides counseling and social services.

Last year, House of Hope served approximately 1,000 homeless people at 22 sites in the Greater Providence area.

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Stephen M. Miller, president of the board of directors, said Johnson’s leadership “shaped every aspect of House of Hope, from its compassionate, individualized service to clients, to the color of the doors in its restored apartment buildings and homes.” Miller accepted her resignation on Wednesday.
“Jean is House of Hope, pure and simple,” Miller said in a statement. “It’s hard to imagine House of Hope without her. But we are confident that the legacy she established provides a solid foundation from which to pursue our goal of making homelessness in Rhode Island an occurrence that is as brief as it is rare.”
Laura Jaworski, the agency’s associate director for policy and programs, has been named the interim executive director. William E. Stein, associate director of clinical services, has been named interim associate executive director.
The two will direct House of Hope during the permanent executive director search. Both will be invited to be among the candidates for executive director.

Johnson, in a letter to the board of directors, said serving as executive director for the past 27 years has been an honor and pleasure.
“The time has come to turn the reins over to a new leadership and a new executive director, who will continue to carry forward the values and principles that have made House of Hope the most effective social service organization in the state,” she said.

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