There is no set length of time for a child’s stay at HOHFC. We have children who come for shorter stays (3-6 months), and we have some residents who have been with us for over 10 years after their parent’s rights were terminated.

We received referrals from C.P.S. (Child Protective Services), from teachers and school counselors, pastors, youth ministers, counselors, friends, and family members. Once a referral is received, our program director reviews the file and vets each referral for placement.

We are a level one facility, meaning that we are not equipped for disruptive behavioral issues such as violence, suicidal ideation, history of inappropriate sexual behaviors, etc…Children come to HOHFC because of family circumstances, not because of behavioral disruptions.

In the past, it was a common practice to obtain full custodial guardianship. None of the children who live on our campus are adoptable, as we most often work toward reunification when possible. We are moving away from that model. Our new philosophy is to take on “private placement,” which involves a simple voluntary placement agreement and an affidavit that allows us to enroll the children in school and provide medical care. These VPAs can be terminated at any time (by either party). This arrangement helps us to work more closely with families and relieves their fears that we are trying to remove their children from their care.

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HOHFC is a faith-based, privately funded ministry. Our funding comes from individuals, businesses, churches, fundraising events, and foundations. We receive no funding per child from the state or federal government.

In 2024 we expect to see about 75% of all funding to be used for the direct care of the children on our campus. As our ministry comes to serve more children in the future, we expect that percentage to increase. Our goal is to see 80-85% of funding go toward the direct care of the boys and girls we serve.

On school days, our children wake up at about 6:00 am and eat breakfast around 6:30 am. Sometimes, the cottage will have a morning devotional before the kids head off to school at 7:00. The children return home between 2:45 pm and 3:30 pm.

Once home from school, the kids have a snack prepared by their houseparents waiting for them. After their snack, they begin working on any homework. They attend tutoring at our Activity Center for assistance. From the time they finish their homework until about 5:30, they have free time. Around 5:30, they have dinner and usually an evening devotion if they did not do one during breakfast. After dinner, those who have nighttime chores complete them. The children then have free time until the youngest kids in the cottage start going to sleep at about 7:30 pm.

The resident’s rooms are dormitory style with 2 twin beds, 2 closets, and a bathroom. They have no need to leave their rooms once they are in for the night. Their rooms have an alarm system that offers safety and security. They know that if they need the houseparents, opening their door will alert the houseparents of a need.

The houseparent couples in each cottage are responsible for preparing and cooking the meals for the children in their home. As often as possible, the children participate in meal preparation alongside their houseparents.

All houseparents work full-time for Homes of Hope for Children and hold no other outside jobs. On weekday mornings, after the kids are dropped off at school, housedads head to the shop for three hours to work around campus (i.e., mowing, grocery shopping, repairs, maintenance). Housemoms stay home with any younger kids who are not in school, along with taking children to appointments and keeping up with the daily housework.

Our houseparents work three weeks on and one week off. During their week off, the kids move to Dearman Cottage, also known as the “Relief Cottage.” During the week off, some parents travel or visit family. Often they choose to stay on campus in the Cottage for their time off.

Each cottage attends church together. Currently, our boys attend Temple Baptist and the girls attend First Baptist Church Purvis.

Wherever possible, we strive to help facilitate healthy familial relationships between the children in our care and their families of origin. Supervised, on-campus visits are a regular occurrence and some of our children have weekend and/or holiday visits off-campus.

We receive children between the ages of 4-17

The youngest is the cottages is10 and we have 2 girls in our college/transition program that are 19 & 20