Door of Hope Virtual Tour

On April 22, 2021, Youth4ward attended a virtual event hosted by Door of Hope. Door of Hope is an organization that shelters families facing homelessness. Founded in 1985, Door of Hope provides individual units for families, including single mothers, two parent families, domestic abuse survivors, and more. Youth4ward had the privilege of listening to success stories, such as Erika Johnson’s. She was evicted from her home, and moved into a Door of Hope unit. Door of Hope provides programs, such as mentoring, tutoring, therapy, financial, spiritual, and life skill classes for children and parents. From these programs, 100% of parents increased their income and savings, 92% of parents improved their emotional wellbeing, and 85% of families are still housed 5 years later after leaving Door of Hope. There are 66,000 people facing homelessness in Los Angeles currently. Door of Hope wishes that everyone facing homelessness is able to be in an organization like Door of Hope. A trigger for homelessness is usually domestic violence. 80% of women and children experiencing homelessness have also experienced domestic violence. Door of Hope opened a new shelter in March, which in turn, serves more families. They served 232 families in 2020, and their goal for 2021 is 145 families. In order to combat the stereotype of homelessness, Erika Johnson explains, “Being homeless does not define anyone. It’s just a part of their human experience. Do not make any assumptions and be sensitive about a person facing homelessness.”

Youth4ward is taking strides in preventing homelessness and foster care stereotypes. We hope to partner with Door of Hope in the future!