How do you describe it? Hope House Detroit. On paper it’s a community center for kids in the Jefferson/Chalmers neighborhood on the eastside of Detroit. But to be honest, that doesn’t even cover it. It’s a blending of community and fun, laughter and conversations, activities and food, personal and communal development, old and young, and love. Real.Crazy.Love. A place where people, kids, and adults alike, are known, respected and loved. And this mutual nurture and growth occurs as we walk together, talk together, play together, and pray together. Our vision at Hope House Detroit is simple: to encourage and accompany children and young people toward their potential.

They are everywhere! Running free in the empty lots surrounding their homes, laughing, yelling, sitting on porch stoops, hanging out. The children of our eastside Detroit neighborhood: thrilled by the warm breeze, the freedom of the moment, and the happy interactions with other kids. They have not enjoyed these simple pleasures in over a year. Because of COVID, they have been cooped up. They have met their teachers virtually and their friends basically not at all. They have watched helplessly as our City made the news as a national COVID hotspot—and sometimes their grandma died. The social-emotional needs of our kids are now at least as significant as their physical and educational needs. 

In response to all the needs magnified by the isolation of the pandemic, Hope House Detroit began a project called Bags of Hope. We pack bags of items that we believe will address some of the needs of isolated and/or traumatized kids that just might not be in the family budget. Last summer Hope House staff and interns delivered over 300 bags to kids and young people. For most kids, simply having someone at the front door who wanted to see them was therapeutic as children beamed, teens vented their frustration over the current scenario, and moms talked for a few to another adult.

In addition to loneliness, in Detroit thousands of kids are simply unaccounted for. They didn’t come to school in person or virtually…all year.

So this summer, as Hope House begins to meet in small in-person gatherings at our kids’ community centers, we will continue to knock on doors of kids we haven’t seen.

By contributing items to our Bags of Hope project, you will be walking alongside us, knocking on doors, waiting, yelling your name, and then swinging a little kid in circles as you join us in impacting need and in accompanying kids toward their potential.

                                                                              Would your team like a more hands-on opportunity to serve at Hope House? Come for a service day where you can join in the fun!

Contact Jessica Brown at jessicabrown0715@gmail.com                            for more information.