Ecumenical Shelter Network of Lake County dba Project Hope for the Homeless

Our Mission is to respectfully and compassionately empower persons who are homeless with hope by providing emergency and transitional shelter, care, and guidance together with the community.

Project Hope for the Homeless serves individuals and families from Northeast Ohio through 5 programs. Adult Shelter, open daily from 7 pm to 7 am, serves up to 38 men and women. We provide emergency shelter, meals, showers, linens, toiletries, clothing and laundry vouchers, transportation tokens, workshops from 20 partners, case management, referrals to resources and optional spiritual support. Weekly meetings with trained, professional staff help guests set and achieve goals or provide referrals for comprehensive treatment. Families Moving Forward operates in a separate wing at our shelter and serves up to 12 parents and children from 1 pm to 7 am weekdays and 2 pm to 7 am weekends to provide the same services as the adult shelter and promote greater consistency and routine in a child-friendly environment to help build resiliency one family at a time. Aftercare, started in 2007, meets the needs of former guests through monthly support meetings with educational and entertaining topics, care packages, service referrals, frequent communication, social events and links to housing subsidies. The program has reduced recidivism from 20% to about 16% and helped former guests become employees, volunteers and community leaders. Senior Care Hope House began in 2019 as an extension of our aftercare services. It is a 3-unit transitional housing program for homeless seniors. They receive subsidized or free rent for up to 90 days and 24/7 shelter and case management. Meals on Wheels are delivered daily by Lake County Council on Aging. Transportation is available for physician appointments and/or the grocery store. Assistance is provided as needed for laundry, chores or smaller tasks. Welcome Home provides eligible guests with up to $500 worth of household goods or small furnishing not available to them by other means for their new home.