Warren County Hope Center will close its doors at the end of the year, but the county will not go unserved.
The Hope Center works to help people out of poverty. Director and Therapist Lorie Gretzinger-Pierce said the center’s board voted in favor of the closure due to the abundance of resources in the area compared to 12 years ago. Gretzinger-Pierce said she feels like now she can retire.
“You think you’re doing things for other people, but basically, when you’re serving another, you get the gift,” Gretzinger-Pierce said. “And so it’s just been a real joy and a privilege to do what we have done for so many years and to be so well supported by Warren County.”
Gretzinger-Pierce said facilities like Freedom Life Church and Humble Beginnings offer homeless care and counseling. Gretzinger-Pierce said these churches have more food and clothing options.
Spending decision also forced the board’s hand. Gretzinger-Pierce said it became difficult to spend money wisely, as the staff struggled to balance both the administrative and service costs of the facility.
“We didn’t put band-aids on problems,” Gretzinger-Pierce said. “Gave ya a hand up, not a hand out. And we didn’t want to spend a lot of resources on the administrative side, brick and mortar. And we just felt that our season had come to leave the city in good hands.”
Gretzinger-Pierce said a year after the center opened, the staff created the Transformation Project, a legacy of the center’s work. She said the program treats both the individual and the family through faith-based and evidence-based, living free program. Gretzinger-Pierce said the project will be passed on to Humble Beginnings Director Bridget King.
Gretzinger-Pierce said once community members are released from prison or jail, they are given no services. The center offers services to these individuals and further treatment, through coping skills, getting a GD, or any tools they might need to reach their goals.
Gretzinger-Pierce said the program mandated recovering individuals have a job, a life coach and attend classes. Judge Ryan Moore approved it as a resource in the judicial system.
“We needed (it) in order to keep a lot of people on probation accountable,” Gretzinger-Pierce said. “And the probation officers also were very helpful in making them continue to follow the recommendations that I had given.”
Gretzinger-Pierce said she is 65 years old and she looks forward to retirement, but she plans to continue advocacy work. Gretzinger-Pierce said all volunteers with the center will continue working for other facilities in the area.
“It’s not necessarily an ending, but a new beginning for other avenues” Gretzinger-Pierce said. “Just, a little different.”
