A Quiet Shift of Hope

Hope Tribe is experiencing a quiet shift of sorts.

Over the last few years, other settlement agencies have been referring families to us when their own resources are exhausted or they don’t have the capacity. These are never easy cases; typically, they've exhausted their financial or emotional reserves. Which means we regularly face a question with no easy answer.

You already know Jori's story. A single mother, two children with significant needs, a path to stability measured in years, not weeks. Referred to us after the primary agency that resettled her lost funding from the government.

When we sat down to consider her situation and needs, the “math” wasn't difficult. From a business perspective, you could argue it wasn’t a wise use of financial resources.

The same time and money we would pour into walking alongside Jori could serve a number of other families instead, one or two meaningful touch points each, real help, real impact for possibly ten other families. By many impact metrics, that is the better investment.

We chose Jori and her children. We had done this before. We knew what it would cost. We said yes anyway. Jori, like other single moms we’ve served, doesn’t need only programs and plans. Her family needs a community that stays and is present when others have moved on.

Each day, we face the tension. Limited resources. Unlimited needs. Choosing to serve these single moms is hard, but we’re not naive; it's a values-driven decision we continue to make.