The New Castle County Hope Center provides non-congregate shelter for people experiencing homelessness as they transition to permanent housing.
To date, the Hope Center has served 2,533 people, with 261 successfully placed into permanent housing.
In addition to housing, the Hope Center also provides wrap-around services including case management, mental health counseling, medical care, and transportation.
Now, using $750,000 in federal funding, the New Castle County Hope Center will be able to optimize their space to help more families in need.
Part of the money will replace a 26,000-square-foot area of their roof.
Issues with that section during weather events rendered 5 rooms and the building's ballroom unusable. Once fixed, the center can accommodate 5 more families and make use of the ballroom space for their operations.
The other portion of the money will support the Center’s transportation services, which serve approximately 100 people daily.
New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer says getting the funding to maintain the former hotel turned shelter for people experiencing homelessness is a challenge.
“You have the money to acquire it, but what you hear from a lot of people is ‘how are you ever going to sustain this?’ We have an excellent plan to sustain it,” said Meyer. “And when Senator Carper, Senator Coons, and Representative Blunt Rochester step up to get us additional funding to help this place it’s really meaningful to us, and it’s really meaningful to some of our most vulnerable residents.”
The $750,000 going to the Hope Center was secured in last year’s appropriations. Moving forward, Senator Chris Coons says supporting those experiencing homelessness remains a priority for the Delaware Congressional Delegation.
“The real challenge that we face here in the State of Delaware and across our whole country is an affordable housing crisis,” explained Coons. “So one of the priorities that I’ve set in this coming year’s appropriations is to provide even more money to build affordable housing in Delaware, and supporting more affordable housing for our country. Because far too many families are simply being priced out of safe, sanitary, decent and affordable housing in Delaware, and all over our country.”
This year, Congressional Delegation is seeking $1.9 million in congressionally directed spending to support Delaware’s housing services- including more money for the Hope Center.
