The face of homelessness can’t be accurately drawn from one’s imagination, and neither can the route leading from having shelter to living on the streets.
“The perception is always that it’s a single man, sometimes with mental illness, alcoholism or some type of abuse, and that really isn’t the true picture of homelessness in St. Louis or the nation n it’s families,” explains Alicia Smith, executive director of Hope House Transitional Housing in West St. Louis.
“There are so many reasons that bring people to homelessness, and many times it isn’t necessarily a major tragedy,” Smith said.
“It could be a loss of a job, where maybe after a month or two they can no longer afford rent. With some families, there’s a fire where they didn’t have insurance, rental property condemned by the city, illness of the breadwinner.”
As executive director of the 50-unit housing complex, Smith sees a lot of those varied faces n like Tanisha Moore.
Moore lived in a violent relationship for 11 years before she and her children moved to safety at a homeless shelter. Hope House’s clients are referred by homeless shelters throughout the city of St. Louis.
“There were a lot of friendly people on staff and living there,” said Moore who is now married and living in her own house.
“It was clean. I had my own apartment with a kitchen. It was a nice environment, and they helped me get anything I wanted.”
Smith likes to work in the community she serves.
“You’re here in the neighborhood, where you see the problems,” said Smith, who previously worked in the mayor’s office and ran former State Treasurer Nancy Farmer’s St. Louis office in the Wainwright Building.
“You get a sense of accomplishment, because you’re right here where all the action is. I’m not in an office. I’m right where we see homeless people, the neighborhood they live, some of the dilemmas they have, like lack of services.”
In addition to helping families transition into independent living, Hope House provides clients with budgeting and money-management skills, living and parenting skills training, GED preparation, vocational and educational assessments and job skills and referrals.
The 32,000-square-foot facility offers individual apartment-like housing, on-site licensed day care center, laundry facility and 24-hour security during residents’ maximum two-year transitional stay there.
“I think it’s a good place,” said Rosalind Dixon, who was referred to Hope House after her house burned to ruins.
“I’d tell anybody to go there, but don’t go if you don’t want to find a job, go to school or better yourself, because you just can’t lay around.”
Dixon, who now rents a home in North St. Louis with her five boys, also benefits from Hope House’s After Care component, which assists clients up to 10 months after they have completed the program.
“They helped me get back on my feet and start over,” Dixon said. “It’s good to know someone had my back. The After Care program with Rev. Thomas is good for people who are serious about doing better.”
Hope House currently houses 46 families and 106 children. All families are city residents (mandatory), headed by a single mother (with the exception of one single father), with an average of age of 28 and an average family size of 2.8 children.
Clients must pass a criminal background check from St. Louis City and County and a drug screening. Those with misdemeanors and the writing of bad checks on their records are welcome, as long as they have completed restitution.
Hope House receives funding from St. Louis Housing and Urban Development which is funneled through the City of St. Louis Homeless Services program. Additional funding comes from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, individual donors and annual fundraisers and letters.
