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Helping Our People to Excel, Incorporated’s (H.O.P.E., Inc.) mission is to provide opportunities for men, women and children to become strong individuals, strong families, and as a consequence, strong communities. The organization is designed to encourage, train, and assist members of the community of all ages, races, and religions, to achieve excellence in all areas of their lives, through education, guidance, positive reinforcement and investing in the community. This will be accomplished by developing the total person – spirit, soul and body, through OutREACH services: Relationship, Education, Athletics, Career and Health, that purposely and successfully build strong individuals, families and communities.
The current need that we are going to address in our community is the need to close and help prevent the expansion of the learning gap due to distance learning and lack of reliable resources to the children in our community. In addition to the needs of the community, we are working on increasing our capacity through increasing our Board of Directors from 3 to 5.
Since its inception the organization has served ~1,300-1,500 meals annually to homeless individuals in Bridgeport and New Haven, CT. Recently we started a learning hub to provide a space for K-8 students who need a clean, safe, controlled environment to engage online with their teachers and classmates, and complete their schoolwork. Our program works with students to make sure that they are logging in, counted in attendance, understanding and completing assignments, and relaying messages back and forth between teacher and parent to ensure student success. In this learning hub, we have impacted the lives of 12 young students and their families, academically, socially and emotionally.
H.O.P.E., Inc. was created to develop programs, and partner with established agencies in a mutually beneficial way for the purpose of reaching its mission. Providing opportunities for men, women and children to become strong individuals, families and communities. To that end, we will establish unique programs while focusing on partnering with established agencies in a mutually beneficial way for the purpose of reaching the mission. This will be accomplished through OutREACH disseminated through five categories of services: 1) Workplace Readiness, 2) Adult Health, 3) Distribution Services, 4) Financial Management, and 5) Children, Youth & Young Adults. The services within these categories include, but are not limited to: 1) job preparedness and vocational training; 2) health education & screening; 3) food & clothing distribution, homeless shelters and soup kitchens; 4) financial education, family asset-building and homeownership; and 5) infant, toddler and preschool child daycare at low or no cost to young mothers in need, before & after school programs, summer camps, youth mentoring programs, college prep, and sports opportunities. In November 2020, we completed a 2-year Strategic Plan, which includes the following initiatives: 1. Building Awareness of Organization through a formalized marketing plan, building our social media and website platforms around goals and objectives, networking & establishing relationships through social and community organizations; 2. Establishing Services Provided through developing and running programs, new (Mentoring Program, 24-Hour Early Development Learning Center) and current (Queen Esther, Before and After School Education Programs/Learning Hubs), and by revamping our homeless outreach by focusing our efforts on homeless teens and young adults, and partnering with local and national programs; 3. Formalizing a Funding, Donors Engagement & Volunteers (FDEV) Program by establishing partnerships and collaborations, formalizing communication and correspondence with donors and building a volunteer/internship program.
Areas Served |
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Greater New Haven |
The City of New Haven’s total population (103,405) is comprised of 34% Black/African-Americans and 51% families with children under the age of 18. The City of New Haven School District for 2020-21 has 44 public schools, serving 20,355 students, 23 of which are classified as Title I Schoolwide schools. Public schools in the New Haven School District have an average math proficiency score of 22% (versus the Connecticut public school average of 47%), and reading proficiency score of 35% (versus the 57% statewide average). The district's average testing ranking is in the bottom 50% of public schools in Connecticut. As a result, the State Department of education has deemed New Haven a priority school district. Minority enrollment is 86% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Connecticut public school average of 46% (majority Hispanic), and 14% of the educators in the New Haven Public School system are African-American (9% Hispanic). The student:teacher ratio of 13:1 is more than the Connecticut public school average of 12:1. Approximately 47% of students are enrolled in low performing schools based on the State Department of Education assessments, and 70% of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. H.O.P.E., Inc is positioned in the heart of the Newhallville neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut. There are six K-12 schools in our immediate surrounding community, the Newhallville and Dixwell neighborhoods of New Haven, CT. Three of those schools are classified as Title I schools. Fifty-one percent of the population in the Newhallville neighborhood (5,589) consists of families with children under the age of 18. Forty percent of the population in the Dixwell neighborhood (5,889) consists of families with children under the age of 18. Eighty-seven percent of the population in the Newhallville neighborhood is Black/African-American and 60% of the population in the Dixwell neighborhood is Black/African-American. The sudden shift to distance learning in March highlighted a “digital divide” among New Haven public school students, with 15 percent of 12,500 respondents in an NHPS-administered survey saying they did not have an internet connection at home. At the beginning of the pandemic, back in April, the school district had given out over 8,000 Chromebooks and iPads with 12,000 more that needed to be purchased and distributed. Both breakfast and lunch is made available to all students, but there is no transportation available for those who are not within walking distance of the pick-up location since busses are not in service.
We are currently running a Distance Learning Workspace Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM for K-8 students who need a clean, safe, controlled environment to engage online with their teachers and classmates, and complete their schoolwork. Our program works with students to make sure that they are logging in, counted in attendance, understanding and completing assignments, and relaying messages back and forth between teacher and parent to ensure student success. | |
Example of Program Success | We did not have a chance to collect quantitative data and metrics, but collected some testimonials from parents/grandparents: Child’s Grade: Kindergarten • As a single parent, it would have been harder to go to work without some place for my child to be during the day. • My child is doing very well in school. • I would, and have, recommended this Learning Hub to others. Child’s Grade: 2nd • The Hub has been a big help for having someplace for my grandchild to be while her mother works. • My grandchild is doing well in school. • Her mother is not getting calls from the teacher about a lack of focus. Child’s Grade: 2nd • I am a working parent, so to have someplace for my child to be has been very helpful. • The Hub has helped to keep my child on task. • What I really like is there are not a lot of people in the program so I feel my child is in a safe environment. Child’s Grade: 1st • I love how the staff interacts with the children. • Big help with my child. • My child loves coming to the Hub. • I look forward to continuing with the program. • I have referred others to this Hub. Child’s Grade: 7th • The Hub is helping my child get his schoolwork done and staying focused. • His progress reports show his improvement. • I am able to get daily chores done and the Hub schedule fits my work schedule so I don’t have to worry about my child. Child’s Grade: Kindergarten • The Hub fits my work schedule. • My child has done all of his work. • He loves coming to the Hub. • The Hub helps my child to stay on track. He can get off track sometimes, but the Hub staff has been able to help him re-focus. • I really appreciate the program. |
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In partnership with the CT Department of Children and Families, we are building a network of faith-based organizations to recruit and retain families for foster care, adoption and respite. | |
Example of Program Success | This program began in October 2020, and we have been working to formalize and engage faith-based organizations. We have our first 6 faith-based organizations in the network and will use the next few months to recruit more faith-based organizations and families in order to start some DCF training over the summer. |
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The #TeamResilient Project, launched in February 2021, is a 3-month project that addresses the mental wellness of students in grades K-12, along with families. Given all of the creative ways teleconferencing apps and software are being used, we will offer the following services, both during the school day when there is down time from virtual teaching and school work, and after school and weekends: Peer Support Groups, Fun Group Activities (Virtual & In-Person), Swag Bags/Self-Care Kits, Wellness Check-Ins with Parents, Individual and/or Group Counseling, Individual and/or Group Tutoring. | |
Example of Program Success | We are holding our first event on Saturday, March 13th, Wellness Check-Ins for Parents. This is a free virtual forum for parents/guardians to come together for an hour to talk about how they are coping and share ideas for successfully navigating life as we know it. We will track the parents and plan to meet with them on a regular basis to support them in any way that we can. We will collect data on coping mechanisms and get qualitative feedback during this first meeting in order to compare to the same data collected in 5-6 weeks at the end of the program. |
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Our program is designed to be a fusion between tutoring those negatively effected by distance learning, and fun camp activities in order to address the effects of COVID on education and physical/social well-being. We will reach out to principals and teachers to work with them to understand which students need help in making sure they are ready for return to school in the fall. We have reached out to the Yale Afro-American Cultural Center to see how we can partner over the summer for tutors. We are going to apply for Youth@Work employees through the City of New Haven, in addition to securing workers through Workforce Alliance for group leaders. We will work with the City of New Haven, and New Haven Public Schools to secure buses for safe COVID-compliant transportation to field trips. Some of the trips planned, but are not limited to, museums, aquariums, the zoo, orchards, outdoor festivals, magic shows, in addition to various parks and day camping sites. We have also secured some donations from individuals for marketing costs. Finally, our goal is to offer all of these services at no charge to the parents, which is why it is vitally important to secure funding and establish relationships with local organizations. | |
Example of Program Success | -- |
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CEO First Name | CEO Last Name | CEO Email |
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John | Cotten | John@cottens.org |
Veronica | Shaw | Contact@hopeforthecommunity.org |
Number of Full-Time Staff | 0 |
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Number of Part-Time Staff | 5 |
Number of Volunteers | 0 |
Number of Contract Staff | 2 |
American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0 |
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Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 7 |
Middle Eastern or North African | |
Mixed | 0 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 |
White | 0 |
Other | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
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Not Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 7 |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Male | 1 |
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Female | 6 |
I am: (Fill In Below) | N/A |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Board Chair First Name | Board Chair Last Name | Board Chair Email Address | Board Chair Term Start Date | Board Chair Term End Date |
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John E | Cotten Jr | john@cottens.org | January 1, 2021 | January 31, 2025 |
Board Member First Name | Board Member Last Name | Board Member Affiliation |
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Danielle | Cotten | Vice President/Secretary |
Veronica | Shaw | Treasurer |
Current List of Board Members as of | January 31, 2023 |
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American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0 |
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Asian | 0 |
Black or African American | 3 |
Middle Eastern or North African | |
Mixed | 0 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 0 |
Other | 0 |
White | 0 |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 0 |
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Not Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 3 |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Male | 1 |
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Female | 2 |
I am: (Fill In Below) | N/A |
Choose Not to Answer | 0 |
Additional Comments (Optional) |
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Fiscal Year Start Date | Fiscal Year End Date | Projected Revenue | Projected Expenses |
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January 1, 2023 | December 31, 2023 | $345,000 | $345,000 |
Fiscal Year | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
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Total Revenue | $188,054 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
Total Expenses | $46,396 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
2021 990 Tax Form |
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2022 990 Tax Form |
2023 990 Tax Form |
2024 990 Tax Form |
Financial Statements |
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H.O.P.E., Inc was established in September 2013. During the last 7+ years, we have worked with young men who were on parole or probation having custody and child support issues, by mentoring them and helping them re-enter the workforce and establish visitation. We have also fed the homeless in Bridgeport and New Haven by preparing meals on a monthly basis. 2020 proved a truly expansive year for the organization in that we were awarded 3 grants totally $205,000 to fund our learning hub, our mental wellness project and our Queen Esther program. Prior to 2020, our organization was fueled by donations and volunteers. In March 2020, we had to suspend our monthly homeless feedings. In response to COVID-19, we started operating learning hubs in September 2020, we developed a program called #TeamResilient to address mental wellness during COVID and racial unrest, and in the summer months will offer a summer enrichment program for students that have fallen behind due to limited tech resources or struggles with online learning. As a result, we have been pushed to capacity in trying to strategically plan, build our donor base to fund our programs and apply for private, foundation and federal grant funds to continue the work and expand services. We are truly excited about the prospect of being able to expand our reach and serve the community in a more impactful way.
Federal EIN Number | 30-0781968 |
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Organization's type of tax exempt status | 501(c)(3) |
Website | https://www.hopeforthecommunity.org |
https://www.facebook.com/helpingourpeopletoexcel | |
https://twitter.com/hopeinc9 |
Fill A Stocking for the Homeless this Holiday Season
Helping Our People to Excel, Inc., is pleased to announce that we are hosting a very special and greatly needed Gift Card and Christmas Stocking drive for homeless youth in our region between the ages of 14-24 this holiday season. The holiday drive will run until Thursday, December 23rd, 2021.
1. We are running a gift card drive so that our youth can purchase items to supply basic needs. We are hoping to receive 50 gift cards for purchasing basic needs, food and gas.
2. Additionally, we are asking the public to please help us to fill 12 holiday stockings with the items listed below:
If you would like to drop off items, please visit our website for details:
H.O.P.E., Inc Stocking and Gift Card Drive
Please show your support this holiday season so that youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in the City of New Haven can receive items they need most to live. We cannot accomplish our mission to strengthen youth and families in our communities without you.
Helping Our People to Excel, Incorporated’s (H.O.P.E., Inc.) mission is to provide opportunities for men, women and children to become strong individuals, strong families, and as a consequence, strong communities.
PO Box 9032
New Haven, Connecticut 06532
Veronica Shaw
contact@hopeforthecommunity.org
https://www.hopeforthecommunity.org/
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