HOPE North Carolina

HOPE North Carolina’s mission is to create inclusive communities where people of all ages and abilities engage with each other. HOPE is working to create an inclusive and affordable housing community for people with and without disabilities, and serve people anywhere from 0% – 100% of the area median income (AMI) as well as Section 8 voucher recipients. They are working with a developer and working to secure land in this area that meets our criteria, which includes accessibility to transit, vocational options, and amenities. We can then begin the process towards construction. In addition, HOPE is also reaching out to the community to begin developing relationships that can serve as a foundation once the community is completed. This is accomplished through monthly gatherings that are open to anyone who lives in the local communities.

HOPE’s vision is a world where all people experience a sense of belonging. Their goal is to expand the housing options for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) to live in the community. Presently there are very few options and most are in congregate settings or living with family members. They want to provide an option for a person with (I/DD) to live in their own home in the community. They are not a service provider, as the support needed by the future community residents will be the responsibility of the residents. HOPE also fosters a community network through monthly gatherings that are open to anyone in the local area.

D is an individual with developmental disabilities who lives in his own home, he has higher support needs and has someone with him almost all the time. He lives in the community but he doesn’t know any of his neighbors, nor do they know him. The people he spends most of his time with are his caretakers. Our goal is to see D living in a community where he knows his neighbors who are both people with and without
disabilities, they know him and they can develop relationships that are mutually beneficial.

You can support HOPE by donating money, advocating, or volunteering in a variety of ways including serving on the Board of Directors (specifically looking for an attorney), communications related tasks like web design, public relations, and increasing awareness of HOPE, and volunteering at monthly community gatherings. Questions? Contact Orah Raia at orah@hopenorthcarolina.org or visit https://hopenorthcarolina.org.