Success Statistics

Operation Hope is dedicated to helping individuals and families who are hungry, homeless and at risk. Our emergency food and shelter programs, together with comprehensive support and services, has continued to help many individuals and families achieve increased stability and self-reliance.

The following are some highlights of our success year-to-date (10/01/2004-09/30/05).

Readiness Project:

The Readiness Project staff worked with participants to increase their individual stability, self-reliance and "readiness" for housing, employment and independent living. The Project addresses the root causes of homelessness, poverty and crisis — guiding participants in formulating plans to help themselves out of crisis. In the past program year:

• Served 156 households, including 112 men, 35 women, 9 families and 19 children.

Outcomes:

• 82% initiated benefit entitlements within 4 weeks of admission
• Of the 59% of the population who were diagnosed with substance abuse, 71% maintained sobriety for at least an eight week stay or until discharge.
• Of the 84% of the population who were diagnosed with a mental illness, 59% participated in mental health treatment for at least a 4 week period.
• 71% demonstrated a new daily living skill for at least a four week period.
• 71% identified improvement in a new skill for at least a four week period.
• Of those discharged from the program, 85% were discharged into permanent or transitional housing!
• The 7 families who were discharged, were discharged into permanent or transitional housing.

STAR Program:

Participants worked to increase their self-reliance and housing stability. Individual objectives are focused on enhancing daily living and interpersonal skills as well as broadening and developing their community resources. In the past program year:

• Served 105 households, including 37 families with 75 children.

Outcomes:

• 97% of those served maintained housing for at least a 3 month period.
• 77% of those served exhibited improvement in a new skill area for at least 3 consecutive months.
• 93% of those diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder maintained sobriety for at least a 3 month period.
• 66% of those diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder participated in substance abuse services for 3 months or more.
• 76% of those diagnosed with a mental health disorder participated in mental health services for at least a three month period.
• 45% maintained employment and 45% established employment!

When a client focus group was held in May 2005, we asked clients "How has Operation Hope been most helpful to you?" They told us:

• "Operation Hope staff care about me and treat me as an individual. They talked to me for me ... I haven't had that at many other places."
• "[Staff] encourage me to do things that I wouldn't normally do, they make me function to my potential! They kept me motivated."
• "[Staff] are helpful in connecting me to resources."
• "Operation Hope is real people helping real people."

How did all this positive change happen?

• With the courageous efforts of all our program participants! Despite overwhelming barriers, the men and women we serve did succeed. Gradually, they each identified the steps they needed to take in order to accumulate stability and increase their self-reliance. For some this meant getting clean and sober, for others this meant taking medication regularly, and for others still, this meant becoming a better parent or employee. To change your own life is at once an awesome and scary endeavor. We all feel privileged to be a part of their lives.
• Professional and compassionate, hard working staff! Our staff teams, led by master's level clinicians offer excellent, caring services. They strive to provide high quality support to each participant. In the last year they did this despite higher numbers of enrollment, increased needs among those who we served, and decreasing services support from other local and state providers. They work with the hardest- to-serve population: people who are dually-diagnosed with mental health and addiction disorders, who are homeless and who have everything going against them. Yet they were successful in taking one step at a time to help people set reachable goals, and to persevere toward better futures.
• Support from donors like you!

Thank you for helping to make Operation Hope a success.