Life is about relationships.
At the height of the heroin epidemic, Georgann was actively working with people in recovery. Her vision was a farm environment where people in recovery could come and live for an extended time period. She was seeing people go to detox, rehab, then home to use again. People were dying. The cycle had to be broken.
The same cycle was playing out with the prison population, something Georgann witnessed firsthand as a volunteer. Similarly, Georgann saw how people from all walks of life had a tendency to fall into unhealthy cycles that weren't usually broken by a 90 day treatment program or a run of jail time.
It All Started in 2015…
Turning the focus to the marginalized.
For years Georgann had worked with people in recovery as she is a recovered addict herself. God had a plan. That plan would involve a population she once could have easily been a member of. Soon, she started visiting a homeless village. It was there that the focus of the ministry changed.
Now some of her friends include people in the middle of their addiction, not just people in recovery. These friends are living in tents, under bridges, and in abandoned houses all around the city of Akron. God showed her that His plan for her ministry was going to be directed to giving hope for the hopeless in places like these.
Homeless people need hope. They need to know someone loves them, cares about them, and will show up every week.
Meals and Friendship Now.
Housing in the Future.
Since 2017 we have been serving those experiencing homelessness in the Akron area; specifically, by providing sack lunches each Monday afternoon.
Providing food and supplies for our homeless friends will always be a critical part of what we do. However, the vision of Hope Farm is to expand our services to include permanent housing.
There needs to be more time. There needs to be a place where people can live in community long-term, a place where they will have support from their peers and opportunity to live with dignity and purpose.
Quality
We believe in the golden rule: “Serve others as we would like to be served.” We provide the same quality lunches, dinners, clothing, and supplies we would provide for our families. Love is the heart of what we do. Our standard is to serve like Christ served.
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light, so that you can see something of the future. -Ephesians 1:18
Independent Housing, Networked Community
Our dream is to provide small, single living homes in a community. This community will consist of a working farm, micro-businesses, an art house, and wraparound services to provide our friends access to holistic care.
“As long as God keeps providing, I will keep moving forward.”
