photo by steed media service

When Laura Hipps migrated to Houston from Atlanta, she wanted to put a stop to an underlying crisis that affects the city. Like most major metropolises in America, homelessness is a huge issue in Houston. On any given night, over 10,000 homeless individuals walk the streets of the city. To assist in eradicating this troublesome problem, Hipps decided to join New Hope Housing and has since become the director of fund development.

“New Hope Housing was founded in 1993 out of Christ Church Cathedral,” Hipps says. “We were the first organization in Houston to develop this type of housing program. The idea sprouted because of the large number of homeless people in Houston. We want to help individuals before they get to the point where they’re out on the streets.”

New Hope Housing builds low-rent apartments that are fully furnished with cable and utilities. The foundation purchased a run-down Howard Johnson Hotel and created the Northline Apartments. They plan to build over 300 additional units in 2008-09. “We want to provide a dignified living environment for low-income individuals,” she says. “We’re able to do this by not taking out any loans and relying on grants from the government and the philanthropic community.”

Hipps believes that New Hope Housing should inspire others to form similar programs. “We’re dedicated to helping this situation,” she says. “We will not diverge from our mission to develop and operate affordable housing. With this program, a dent will be made in the homelessness problem in America.” -roz edward

Send this Article to a Friend
facebook