Hope House Tree of Hope

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Paterson
Hope House 
Providing 50 Years of Hope for Morris County
1971-2021

Hope House, was located in a 109+ year old school building in Dover, was established in 1971 by the Diocese of Paterson as the Morris-Sussex Social Services Center. The purpose was to provide counseling services to individuals and couples.  Five years later in 1976, the Diocese entered into an agreement with the Dope Open, Inc., whereby the agency’s name was changed to Hope House.  Mary Mulholland, the flame that started Hope House and founder of the Dope Open Golf Tournament, was instrumental in the support and development of our programs and services to provide drug & alcohol counseling and treating substance and alcohol additions.  Since then services such as Adult and Adolescent Substance Abuse programs, an education drug group, an IDRC ( Intoxicated Drivers Resource Center ) program and anger management groups have been provided.  “La Cocina de Mami” (Mother’s Kitchen) was opened as a drop-in center as a support group for low income Hispanic women and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) started in 2011.  Also in 2011, the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program (SSVF) began, a housing assistance program for veterans.

In the late 1970’s, financial support from the County of Morris enabled Hope House to expand the programs to include senior citizens and younger disabled individuals in Morris County. Operation Fix-It allows provides individuals with minor safety and health repairs, keeping them safe in their homes while our Chore program offers light housekeeping, laundry and shopping services. These two programs have prevented the premature institutionalized of so many who would otherwise be unable to remain in the comfort of their own homes. A third program, the Hope Connection, offers a 24 hour personal response system to those individuals needing peace of mind should an emergency arise while they are alone.

In 1987, the State Department of Health approached Hope House to establish an outpatient drug program to serve the needs of the HIV population. It was then that Hope House established The AIDS Center. Included in the current HIV/AIDS services provided are pastoral care, substance abuse & mental health counseling, medical case management, housing assistance and transportation.  In addition, Hope House provides community education and outreach through our speakers bureau and at community events.   In 1999, an expansion to the original building was dedicated to a wonderful benefactor, Dean A. Gallo. This expansion provided additional and much needed space for The AIDS Center employees and clients.

Since 1990, Hope House has provided needy clients with a little holiday cheer.  At Thanksgiving, we provide over 250 baskets of non-perishable foods to our clients. At Christmas, our Hope for the Holidays program provides over 600 gifts to our clients and their families. For our clients’ children, we offer a Back to School program providing them with new and much needed school supplies. This allows over 80 of our children to return to classes with a fully stocked backpacks helping them excel in their studies.

In June 2007, Hope House was accredited with commendation by the Council on Accreditation (COA).  The successful achievement of COA accreditation by Hope House demonstrates an adherence to nationally accepted standards of care.  The Council on Accreditation attests that Hope House meets the highest national standards of professional performance. Hope House was re-accredited in June 2011.

Hope House also provides a food pantry, opened to the entire community in the spring 2008.  We depend solely on donations to keep our shelves stocked, and the food pantry is run entirely by volunteers.  Like many food pantries, we have seen an increase in the working poor and younger families needing food.  On average, our food pantry is now giving out approximately 12,000 pds of food per month.

We would not be able to offer our services without the many volunteers who give of their time, talent and treasure.  In 2011, Hope House benefited from over 7,000 volunteer hours.

For four decades, Hope House has opened its doors to thousands of clients from Morris, Sussex and Warren counties.  Our HIV/AIDS Center, Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Senior Services provides care for those who need it most, the poor and the most vulnerable.

After 48 years, during the summer of 2019, Hope House began its move from Belmont Avenue building, to a new space on Bassett Highway in Dover. We currently provide these services:

• HIV / AIDS Services
• Senior Services – Fix It Program
• HPRP2 – Homeless Prevention Program
• Food Pantry