The Hope Center

Eligibility

Who Can Receive Assistance?

You may qualify for Hope Center assistance if you or your family meet one of the following circumstances:

No Fixed or Adequate Residence

You do not have a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Living Somewhere Not Intended for Housing

Your primary nighttime residence is a place not designed or ordinarily used for sleeping, such as a vehicle, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or campground.

Living in a Shelter or Qualifying Temporary Housing

You are living in a supervised public or private shelter, transitional housing, or a hotel/motel paid for by a government program or charitable organization for low-income individuals.

Exiting an Institution After Experiencing Homelessness

You previously lived in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and are exiting an institution where you temporarily resided.

Facing Imminent Loss of Housing

You will lose your current housing within 14 days, have no subsequent residence identified, and lack the resources or support network necessary to obtain other permanent housing. Examples may include a court-ordered eviction requiring you to leave within 14 days, inability to remain in a hotel or motel for more than 14 days because you lack the resources to do so, or credible evidence that the person allowing you to stay in your current residence will no longer allow you to remain there for more than 14 days.

Certain Unaccompanied Youth or Families with Children and Youth

Certain unaccompanied youth and families with children or youth who are considered homeless under other federal laws may qualify when they have experienced a long-term period without permanent independent housing, persistent housing instability, and circumstances expected to cause that instability to continue.

Fleeing Domestic Violence or Other Dangerous Conditions

You are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or another dangerous or life-threatening condition; have no other residence; and lack the resources or support network necessary to obtain other permanent housing.

Referrals

A Referral Is Required

Anyone requesting assistance from the Hope Center must provide documentation verifying that they meet the Center's eligibility requirements.

The preferred method is our Hope Center Referral Form, completed by a caseworker, service provider, pastor, or other appropriate community professional who is familiar with the household's circumstances.

Providing a complete referral before the client's visit is mandatory as it will help us verify eligibility and serve the household as efficiently as possible.

Download Hope Center Referral Form

Other written documentation may be considered when it provides sufficient information to verify eligibility. For households facing eviction or imminent loss of housing, additional documentation may be required to establish that the household meets the applicable Title V requirements. This may include a court eviction notice stating the household must vacate within 14 days, a certified statement stating that the household is in a hotel/motel/or other temporary housing and they lack the resources to reside there for more than 14 days, or other credible evidence that the household is about to face imminent homeless and lacks the resources to provide stable housing.

You must have a complete referral form or other form of referral before visiting the Hope Center!

How Often Can I Receive Assistance?

To help ensure Hope Center resources remain available to as many eligible households as possible:

Eligible households may receive assistance from the Hope Center once every three (3) months, not to exceed four (4) assistance visits within any 12-month period. Households must provide a new referral with each visit.

Exceptions may be approved by the Executive Director when extraordinary circumstances warrant additional assistance and sufficient inventory is available. Receiving a referral or meeting eligibility requirements does not guarantee the availability of any particular item.

What to Expect When You Visit

After your referral and eligibility have been verified, a Hope Center volunteer will explain the assistance available to your household.

The number and types of items a household may receive will be based on:

• Household size;
• Current housing circumstances;
• Household needs;
• Previous Hope Center assistance; and
• Available inventory.

Certain items may only be appropriate for particular housing situations. For example, someone currently staying in a vehicle or emergency shelter may not be eligible to receive furniture until housing has been secured.

You will receive a simple shopping guide identifying the number and types of items your household may select. When you are finished shopping, the volunteer will update our inventory records.

Because the Hope Center relies on community donations, specific items cannot be guaranteed. All assistance is subject to available inventory.

Same-Day Pickup: Clients are expected to take all selected items with them on the day assistance is provided. The Hope Center is unable to hold or reserve items. If transportation must be arranged for large furniture, staff may consider alternate pickup arrangements on a case-by-case basis, subject to volunteer availability.

Why Do We Ask for Household Information?

Housing Partners of Western Nebraska is required to submit an Annual Utilization Report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the Hope Center and the population it serves.

As part of this reporting, HHS requests information about the unduplicated individuals served, including adults and minors, household type, veteran and disability status, victims of domestic violence, race, and ethnicity.

For this reason, clients may be asked to provide demographic information as part of the referral and intake process. This information also helps Housing Partners accurately understand and report the population served by the Hope Center.

Donations

Community donations make the Hope Center possible.

Donations must be brought to the Center during designated donation hours. A volunteer will review donated items to make sure they meet our donation guidelines before accepting them.

Accepted items will be recorded and organized for distribution. Items that do not meet Hope Center donation guidelines cannot be left at the Center and must leave with the donor.

Please do not leave donations outside the Hope Center or when the Center is closed. Any items left outside of the building will automatically be disposed of!

Items We Accept

Volunteering

Help Us Bring Hope To Our Community

The Hope Center is a community resource, and community involvement is an important part of keeping it available to individuals and families in need. Housing Partners of Western Nebraska is looking for individuals, businesses, churches, civic groups, service organizations, retirees, community agencies, and employee volunteer teams interested in helping operate the Hope Center.

What Do Volunteers Do?

Depending on the shift, volunteers may help with:

• Welcoming clients and assisting them while they shop
• Reviewing referral forms using established guidelines
• Accepting and recording community donations
• Checking donated items against Hope Center donation guidelines
• Organizing donations and stocking the Center
• Maintaining simple inventory records
• Completing basic recordkeeping or data entry
• Light cleaning and organization
• Opening or closing the Center

Volunteers will not be expected to interpret program rules or make eligibility decisions on their own. Housing Partners will provide clear procedures, referral forms, donation guidelines, inventory sheets, and easy-to-follow reference materials.

Flexible Volunteer Opportunities

You do not have to commit to volunteering every week or for an entire day. We hope to create a flexible, rotating volunteer schedule that allows community members and organizations to participate in whatever way works best for them.

A business or community agency might adopt an occasional shift, a church or civic organization might create a rotating volunteer team, or an individual might simply volunteer a few hours when available.

Interested in Volunteering?

Download Hope Center Volunteer Form

Please send completed forms to:
Amanda, Administrative Office Assistant
Housing Partners of Western Nebraska
Phone: 308-633-0491
Email: amanda@scottsbluffhousing.com

Please feel free to share this opportunity with others who may be interested in volunteering.

Together, we can make the Hope Center a true community resource—supported by neighbors helping neighbors.