Loss of funding could mean end for Hope House

By Elise Franco

Volunteers at Hope House Visitation Center are working to raise money to keep the nonprofit organization in business.

Carole Bopp, Hope House director, said the center lost 54 percent of its funding after Mahoning County Job and Family Services terminated its two-year contract. She said fundraisers, such as Friends and Family Night at Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt, are going to help make money.

From 3 to 9 p.m. today at two Handel’s locations, 4251 Belmont Ave. in Liberty and 1491 Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman, 20 percent of the total purchases will be donated to Hope House. Customers are asked to present a copy of the box attached to this article when they make a purchase in to have proceeds donated to Hope House.

“It will be a day in which everyone will enjoy their favorite ice cream,” Bopp said. “Show your support, along with your friends and family, to make this a very special day for everyone involved.”

The center, 660 W. Earle Ave. on Youngstown’s South side, was founded in 2000, Bopp said.

“We are Mahoning County’s only supervised visitation center,” she said. “We keep the parents apart and the kids having a happy visit.”

Bopp said the center provides a safe environment for children whose parents are going through a divorce, custody battle or having domestic violence issues. She said the center, which also can be used as an exchange point for parents, serves 89 children and 75 adults per week.

“It is a wake-up call for parents who get caught up in their own issues and forget what they’re doing to their own children,” she said. “Domestic violence is on the rise, and we are seeing more and more substance abuse. We need to keep kids safe during this time.”

Bopp said the fundraiser is important to the center because for now, it’s the only source of income. She said she’s spoken with Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, as well as several government officials at the state and local level, about stimulus funding to keep the center running.

Bopp said that on Friday the center will have to begin charging small fees for its services. She said each exchange will be $5 and visitations will be $10 per hour.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to do this because many of the families are low-income families,” she said. “We’re hoping somehow as the need is greater due to increased domestic violence, we’ll see some stimulus money.

“Until then we have to start raising money any way we can.”

For more information about the Handel’s fundraiser contact Bopp at (330) 788-8882.

efranco@vindy.com