HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – After two years of planning and building, Hope House is now open and functioning in Christian County, acting as a temporary, transitional living space for kids who are first entering the foster care system and are waiting for placement. The house gives them a safe, comfortable space to rest, eat, and be cared for after being removed from a home.
“Our biggest thing when designing the house is we wanted it to feel like a home,” Joy Closet and Hope House founder Heather Gray told Christian County Now. “Overall, we want a child to feel hope on that worst day.” Prior to the existence of hope house, kids who are suddenly removed from homes or foster homes are often left to sleep in the DCBS office in uncomfortable, unfamiliar environments while awaiting new placement.
Hope House features, community support
Dozens of community members, supporters, and Christian County Sheriff’s deputies attended the ribbon cutting on Sept. 5, Gray welcomed everyone into the completed space alongside Hope House and Joy Closet board members and employees.
In a true community effort, Gray collaborated with the local Junior Auxiliary to help design the kid’s spaces, Ashley Furniture donated the furnishings, Legacy Metals donated the house structure, and the decorative lumber was donated by Kentucky Lumber. Fundraising efforts have also continually supported construction, with $14,000 raised during a Lip Sync Battle in January…