With hints and rumors floating since late January, major changes at Homeward Bound’s A HOPE Day Shelter in hours and policies were confirmed on Monday in a press release from the shelter’s director, Rev. Heather Spencer.
Starting Monday, March 1st, A HOPE’s hours will be 7 am until noon, everyday—a reduction from its previous weekday schedule. A HOPE intends to maintain its existing services, which include showers, laundry, phone use, checking mail, and light food fare during its regular operation hours, and is adding “educational opportunities and programs” in the afternoons.
The programs will be provided in partnership with other agencies in the area including the Western North Carolina AIDS Project, Our Voice, the Veterans Administration, and Project Access II Care. A nurse will also be available Wed. afternoons.
According to several clients of A HOPE, these changes in A HOPE’s structure will also mean reduction of its staff. While unconfirmed by Homeward bound staff, according to an online blog entry by one of the staff on the date of the announcement to the staff, “some [were] relieved, some heart-broken, all at least a little shell-shocked with the news of big changes.”
A frequent client of A HOPE’s services who asked to be identified as “Ghost” says of the changes, “This is B.S. because there are people who can’t get in until the afternoon. If they’re coming in off the mountain how are they supposed to check their mail or get a shower?”
For more information about A HOPE and the changes contact the director of A HOPE, Rev. Heather Dillashaw Spencer, reached via email at heathers@hbofa.org or by phone at 828.252.8883
Full Press Release (pdf file)
They’ve pretty much just reduced the hours. There were previously open from 7:00am to 4:00pm, and were closed from 12:00pm to 1:00pm. Now they are just open from 7:00am to 12:00pm. The new services? They have a board with a few things in the afternoon during the week. You could already see a nurse there. You could already talk to a counselor there. This “expansion of services” amounted to nothing but a coverup of the fact that under the current director they lost funding, and couldn’t stay open all day any more.