History

Mary Mother of Hope House I: An emergency shelter for homeless and destitute women, which was established on October 7, 1977, at 1103 West 8th Street, Wilmington. Residents of Hope House I, as well as the other emergency shelters described below, receive an array of supportive services in a caring environment designed to encourage them to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. In order to expand this facility, an adjacent house was purchased on October 7, 1978.

Emmanuel Dining Room: Three facilities that provide nutritious meals daily to the hungry. The original Dining Room opened on November 30, 1979. It now has three locations: one on the west side of Wilmington at 121 North Jackson Street, one on the east side of Wilmington at 226 North Walnut Street, and one in New Castle at 500 Rogers Road. The heart of this program lies in the ongoing support of over 90 churches, synagogues and civic groups that prepare and serve meals on a rotating basis.

Mary Mother of Hope House Transitional Residence: A program for women from Hope House I who have obtained employment but need extended supportive services in their move toward self-sufficiency. This facility opened on May 25, 1983, at 121 North Jackson Street, Wilmington. It is now located in a separate building at 818 Jefferson Street, Wilmington.

Mary Mother of Hope House II & III: These two programs provide emergency shelter for homeless women and children. Hope House II opened on September 24, 1983, at 121 North Jackson Street, Wilmington. Hope House III opened on October 4, 1988 at 515 North Broom Street, Wilmington as a second emergency shelter specifically for homeless women and children.

Job Placement Center: This program's purpose is to assist the unemployed. It was opened on March 18, 1985, and is presently located at 1100 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington.

House of Joseph I: This shelter for homeless and employable men, was opened on March 19, 1985, at 1328 West Third Street, Wilmington.

Distribution Center: This facility provides donated clothing, household goods and furniture to the poor. It opened on August 22, 1989, and is located at 1410 North Claymont Street, Wilmington.

St. Clare Medical Outreach Program: This program, co-sponsored by St. Francis Hospital, provides the area's uninsured poorest people with access to primary medical care. Begun on April 27, 1992, the medical vehicle travels a scheduled route among Emmanuel Dining Room sites, the residential shelters and the Job Placement Center.

Child Care Center: This program provides quality care for preschool children of homeless or working poor families, thus enabling parents to enter job training or obtain employment. It opened on November 24, 1992 at 221 North Jackson Street, Wilmington.

Il Cappuccino: A banquet hall and commercial kitchen, this program is located at 221 North Jackson Street, with full-service catering capacity used for meetings and other community activities, social events, and International Night fundraisers for Emmanuel Dining Room.

St. Francis Transitional Residence: This nine-unit transitional living program has extensive supportive services for women with children who leave our emergency shelters and are working toward long-term self-sufficiency. The Residence opened on September 1, 1995. Each unit is self-contained with a full kitchen and bath and separately metered utilities. Participants live independently with supervision.

Pierre Toussaint Dental Office: Located at 830 Spruce Street, Wilmington, this facility opened on October 19, 1995, and provides dental services to the guests of our shelters and residences and to the other poor and homeless of the area. The dental office receives referrals from 21 community agencies.

Samaritan Outreach Program: This free-standing supportive services program has as its focus the task of filling gaps in both outreach to homeless persons living on the streets and in supportive services offered to sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons throughout New Castle County. The services provided include: intensive coordinated case management, housing placement assistance, referrals for substance abuse treatment, clothing, food, shelter and personal counseling. This program is located at 1410 North Claymont Street, Wilmington, and opened on November 1, 1995.

House of Joseph II: This program provides a residence for homeless people living with AIDS. It opened in April, 1997 and is located at 9 West 18th Street, Wilmington. The residence provides comprehensive case management services, food service, and through partnership with St. Francis Hospital, ensures access to complete medical care.

Nazareth House Transitional Residence: This program provides transitional housing for up to seven families who are working toward re-establishing self-sufficiency. Three units at 106 N. Broom Street, Wilmington, opened on March 24, 1998, and the remaining four, at 898 Linden Street, Wilmington, opened in the summer of 1999.

House of Joseph Transitional Residence: This program is for men from House of Joseph I who have found employment and are ready to prepare for self-sufficiency. It is located at 704 West Street, Wilmington and was dedicated and opened in June, 1998.

Guardian Angel Child Care: Recognizing that the demand for quality childcare services continues to out pace our ability to provide this service, Guardian Angel, our second child care facility, opened in July, 1998. This state-of-the-art care and education facility serves children ages one through five from working families not able to afford conventional private day care. A kindergarten class has been offered since August, 1999.

Francis X. Norton Center: This diverse and energetic center in the heart of one of Wilmington's most vital neighborhoods opened in June 2002. Located at 10th and Madison Streets, the Center offers opportunities for senior adults living in Sacred Heart Village and for youth, families, and seniors in the surrounding community to participate in educational, recreational and community-building activities.

Bethany House: This program, located at 601 N. Jackson Street, represents a new dimension of the continuum of care for homeless women by providing permanent housing for women with special needs. The first residents moved into Bethany House in June 2002.

Il Bambino: This program provides care for the youngest children of the poor and homeless. The facility has the capacity to care for up to 24 infants, from six weeks through one year old.

House of Joseph III: This program, located at 822 Jefferson Street, provides transitional residence for five male youths between the ages of 16 and 19 with a stable, safe residence as they rebuild their lives after being released from the juvenile justice system.

Before and After School Program: This program provides quality care for school age children of homeless or working poor families, before and after school. it opened on September 9th, 2005 in the lower level of 221 North Jackson Street.

Sacred Heart Transitional Residence: This program is for women from Hope House I who have found employment and are ready to prepare for self-sufficiency. It is located at 917 North Madison Street, Wilmington and opened in March 2006.

The Founding of a New Corporation

Sacred Heart Village: The Ministry of Caring sponsored the construction of this permanent housing program within the property of the former Sacred Heart Parish. Now autonomous, Sacred Heart Village provides affordable housing for seniors in a 78-unit community. The ground-breaking ceremony was held in March, 1999 and the first residents moved into their new home in October, 2001. It is located at 920 N. Monroe Street in Wilmington.

Philosophy