By Heather Loveridge
BUFORD, Ga. | It all started with a PTA meeting. In the early 1980’s three concerned PTA mothers – Barb Lewis, Joanne Culvern, and Sharry Hague – saw firsthand the homelessness crisis for children in Gwinnett. Rather than waiting for someone else to tackle this issue, these moms single handedly raised $2.5 million to support children facing homelessness in their area. With these donations and the county’s approval, they opened Gwinnett Children’s Shelter in 1987, the first of its kind in the community.
“There are never too many people to love a child. That’s what spurred on this children’s shelter from the very beginning. It’s such a rewarding thought to know that you can have a tiny piece in changing someone’s life,” said Leana Roach, one of the PTA moms who pitched in during the shelter’s beginning and a current board member of Home of Hope.
Initially, the shelter had room to house 12 children, but the need in Gwinnett quickly outgrew the shelter’s capacity. By the year 2000, the organization had doubled in size and moved to a new facility in Buford, where it is currently located.
From its start to the early 2010’s, the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter provided a safe haven for youth who were transitioning to foster care. The focus shifted in 2014 when the shelter transitioned from a state-funded organization to a privately-funded home for young mothers and their children experiencing homelessness.
Kornowa
Maureen Kornowa, Home of Hope’s executive director, says: “We started looking for a new name or word to describe what we were now doing. Hope was one of those words. It just rang true for us and for me because that’s what we were doing here. We were instilling hope where people felt hopeless. We wanted this to be home. A place of refuge. So, ‘Home of Hope’ was a natural progression.”
As Home of Hope, the staff and volunteers have transformed a temporary shelter into a deeply rooted community. Their efforts and heart for their participants have a lasting impact.
Former Home of Hope mom Kanesha Jackson says: “Home of Hope is not as much an organization as they are a family. I know I can still call and they’ll still welcome me with open arms. They’re considered family. Even though it’s been years since I’ve seen them, I can still call.”
Home of Hope supports young mothers and their children through its three to twelve month transitional living program. While participating in this program, families receive room and board and customized life skills training to prepare them for independence and success. Designed to offer moms and children the life skills they need to thrive outside of Home of Hope, the program focuses on education, career development, parenting and financial planning.
Home of Hope board member Andrew Hedrich feels: “The difference they are making is a holistic approach to family betterment and independence. This outreach is not a band-aid to temporarily solve a problem, but one that aims to deliver tools and opportunities to those in need.”
Through each change over the years, the heart and vision of Home of Hope has remained, to bring peace, success and sustainability to the families they serve for the rest of their lives.
Kornowa concludes: “We are unique in that we have the opportunity to step into the lives of each guest while they are with us. We give customized support, a listening ear and a loving environment. We like to say we take our guests from homeless to hopeful and into a home of their own.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us