Providence Health Care Gives $5,000 to Susain Hope House Women's Shelter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Rusty Barnett
Hope House director
Volunteers of America
of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho
509.455.2886 or rbarnett@voaspokane.org

Marilee Roloff
President/CEO
Volunteers of America
of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho
509.624.2378 or mroloff@voaspokane.org

Spokane, Wash.– January 15, 2012 – New financial support from Providence Health Care will allow Volunteers of America's Hope House women's shelter to help some of the most vulnerable in our community—more than 1,800 homeless single women in Spokane, many with mental health or chemical dependency issues—with nowhere else to turn but the cold, dangerous streets.

Last year Spokane’s Hope House provided shelter and refuge to more than 350 women aged 18 and older. These women are grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters.

Named for the refuge it provides, Hope House offers refuge from the dangerous streets to any woman regardless of her mental health status, chemical dependency issues or lifestyle. Each woman receives safe shelter, a soft bed, a clean change of clothes and something warm to eat. But more importantly, each woman also has access to Hope House’s supportive services like case management, access to mental-health or substance-abuse treatment, and housing—that help women rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind forever.

The shelter is currently at capacity with 34 beds and 25 onsite apartments. Growing need is stretching resources to the breaking point. Providence Health Care’s gift helps to sustain this essential program for vulnerable Spokane women.

“With the help of generous community partners like Providence Health Care, we are able to open our hearts to women that everyone else has forgotten,” says Marilee Roloff, president and CEO of Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho. “What better way is there to benefit the community than to remember the most vulnerable among us?”

Money received is part of Providence Health Care’s Community Benefit program which seeks to improve the overall health and well-being of our local communities with particular concern for poor and vulnerable persons.

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Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those who need our help the most—from street teens and adults battling chronic homelessness to low-income, at-risk youth and families. Our innovative programs provide a continuum of shelter, support services, and housing that uplift and empower, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective services. For more information, including a complete list of our services, visit www.voaspokane.org