House of Hope reflects on past winter

House of Hope operates as a Warming Center, offering a safe place for Branson residents to sleep on the coldest of nights. As the weather warms up, House of Hope is closing the Warming Center for the season and reflecting on how the center helped those in need over the past winter.

"The House of Hope Warming Center opened its doors for 46 nights this winter," explained House of Hope's Alex Sprinkle. "Most evenings, the Warming Center averaged around 20 guests utilizing services. When we received large amounts of precipitation and snow, we saw a dramatic increase in guests. A few nights we had 35 to 40 guests utilizing the facility. Throughout the winter we saw 120 different individuals in the center. Some guests stayed most nights throughout the winter, while others stayed a few nights before finding other housing options."

In addition to offering guests a warm place to spend the night, the Warming Center provides dinner and breakfast, a shower facility and laundry facilities for those who stay at the Center. However, the primary focus at House of Hope is community and connection.

"It's often the Warming Center that allows us to meet guests for the first time," explained Sprinkle. "It provides a safe place to meet people where they're at and encourage them to take the next step in a positive direction."

Now that the Warming Center is closed for the season, House of Hope is looking forward to operating a Cooling Center during the summer months.

"Summer comes with dangerously high temperatures," Sprinkle noted. "The Cooling Center operates as a safe space for individuals to cool off and relax when the temperature hits 95 degrees. The Center opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Guests are provided with breakfast and lunch. They also have access to the shower facility and laundry facility. This is a resource that is available to anyone, not just the unsheltered community. If anyone is without access to proper cooling, they are encouraged to come."

In addition to the Warming Center and Cooling Center, House of Hope serves the community in many important ways.

Said Sprinkle, "The Advocacy Office provides a space for individuals to come and receive services and connect with staff members. We serve breakfast Monday through Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. Guests are welcome to sign up for showers and laundry as well throughout the week.  Guests can receive mail at House of Hope, making correspondence with SNAP and Medicaid benefits much easier. In addition to these services, House of Hope also connects clients to education and resources that produce long-term change. Guests are assisted with connecting to mental health resources, medical care, sober living facilities and government benefits. The House of Hope crew anticipates participating in several outreach events throughout the summer. These partnerships are completed with other nonprofit and church partners.  At outreach events, we provide food and hygiene to guests."

The House of Hope is grateful to the businesses and individuals in the Branson community who support them, not just in the winter, but all year long.

"The generosity and kindness of the individuals and businesses here blow us away," said Sprinkle. "Thank you so much to all those who have contributed with your time and resources to serve those in need. Our community is better because of your willingness to love people."

If your church, business or organization is interested in gaining more information about House of Hope and what they do, the nonprofit is happy to share information with you.

"Many churches and groups have presented an opportunity for House of Hope to share about our organization and the work we do," Sprinkle said. "We are more than excited to continue to share the work we do in Branson and the surrounding areas. If your church, business or small group is interested in learning more about House of Hope and ways to get connected, we would love to share. The best way to contact us is through email at hopehousebranson@gmail.com."