Address: 338 Brook Hollow Road, Boone NC

General Information about the Organization

Hospitality House, a non-profit crisis agency in Boone, NC, serves seven counties helping those in crisis, poverty and homelessness rebuild their lives using housing, prevention, nutrition and myriad supportive programs and services.

Residents receive supportive services to address employment, education, housing and medical needs. Other services are coordinated with area agencies to meet the physical, social and emotional needs of the clients. Each resident is required to be substance-free and to take an active role in the house, help with chores and participate in daily meetings.

Through the provisions of food, shelter and supportive services the goal is for every adult and child to leave empowered and equipped with the skills that will allow them to transition from crisis to stability, poverty to sustainability and homelessness to self-sufficiency.

The need is great as there over 1,200 homeless people on any given night in our seven county region.

The “face of homelessness” includes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation and gender. According to a 2010 CareerBuilder.com survey, 77% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck meaning that injury, death, job loss and other unforeseen circumstances can render any family, child, woman or man homeless. Particularly vulnerable are U.S. veterans, the elderly, the under-employed, people with disabilities, chronic disease, mental illness and addiction disorders.

History of Organization

The problem of homelessness gained local recognition 30+ years ago as downtown merchants noted individuals sleeping in nearby woods and loitering about during business hours. In 1981 the Boone Coalition of Churches, consisting of Grace Lutheran, Boone United Methodist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, St. Luke's Episcopal and St. Elizabeth's came together and identified the need for a true shelter. After a period of temporary shelter in the six local churches, a more permanent solution, Hospitality House of the Boone Area, Inc. opened to shelter homeless people in 1984.

 The original Hospitality House Shelter, located on King Street in downtown Boone, was built in 1917 and given as a gift from an anonymous donor in 1984.

Basic Info

Programs and Services

• Emergency Shelter: Our Emergency Shelter is comprised of two male dorms and two female dorms that house a total of 24 residents with a potential for eight overflow beds. The dedicated service coordinator counsels each client, evaluating their homeless situation, guiding them through the steps to begin rebuilding their lives while providing the structure of accountability they need to be successful. For those in the community who may not qualify or want to stay in a shelter, Hospitality House offers three daily meals, showers and laundry facilities, providing a stepping stone toward the foundation for a hopeful future.
• Transitional & Family Housing: This program houses space for 29 residents in either family quarters or single room efficiencies. The dedicated service coordinator guides residents along the path to employment, sustainable housing and goal-setting through motivation, accountability and the building of life skills. Last year 82% of our residents exited this program with income and housing.

  We pride ourselves on being a family-first transitional living facility by keeping the family unit intact regardless of economic circumstances. The need for family housing is on the rise with up to 20% of our residents under age 12. Because of the increased need for families and children we have implemented an afterschool program, visual arts program, reading program, Kid's birthday parties and movie night.

• Permanent Supportive Housing: Self-reliance is a life goal, benchmark and measure of success for anyone transitioning out of homelessness. The Permanent Supportive Housing Program includes nine residences at the Hospitality House and the eight unit Rock Haven Independent Living Facility. This program provides the structure and sense of community while the residents contribute to the rent and sustainability of the facilities. The majority of residents identify as permanently disabled and having the ability to live independently in-and-of-itself is a victory

• Bread of Life Community Kitchen: Three meals a day are provided to all residents and any community members in poverty and need. The meals are managed by our food service coordinator and prepared by churches, civic organizations, and volunteers.

  Our kitchen is stocked primarily (95%) through donations from community food drives, individual donors, Feeding America, Food Lion in Blowing Rock and Earth Fare in Boone. Currently we are averaging 10,500+ meals a month served.

  Meals are available at the following times:

  • Breakfast:         6:30 - 8:30
  • Lunch:              11:30 - 1:00
  • Dinner:             5:30 - 6:30
• Food Box Program: Stocked with food from the Second Harvest Food Bank, a division of the Feeding America Program, our program is available to those in the community who qualify for low-income assistance. The need for this program has nearly tripled in size in one-year with more of our community becoming unemployed or under-employed. Twenty-five percent of our region lives in poverty with another fifteen percent unable to earn a living wage. Food boxes are available from 9 - 11 a.m. and 1 - 4 p.m. everyday.
• WeCAN  (Watauga Crisis Assistance Network: Every day people in our community face eviction, utility cutoffs, heating fuel shortage and prescription medication needs. Since 2002, Watauga Crisis Assistance Network (WeCAN) has been providing help to community members who find themselves in these situations. Often, such assistance ultimately prevents an individual from becoming homeless. The program coordinator provides guidance and helps the client create a plan for overcoming recurrent situations through information and referrals. Clients served by the program are also offered follow up counseling to help them achieve stability. The need for crisis assistance is growing each day. WeCAN continues to see significant increases in the demand for services, especially homelessness prevention. The program relies on donations from faith communities, civic groups and individuals with 100 percent of donations funding crisis situations. . In 2011, WeCAN provided or arranged for over $225,000 in assistance. Walk-in Appointments available Monday through Friday 10am to 12pm and Wednesday 5pm to 7pm. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdgM16pXo
• Operation Round-Up: This is an optional program for BREMCO (Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corp.) members to round their bill up to the next full dollar. This change then gets put into the Operation Round-up fund and is used to assist local households in danger of cut-off. This program targets households with a cut-off notice and has a member that is either elderly, six years-old and younger or has a disability.
• Good Neighbor Round-up:  Small change can add up and help transform lives! Through this New River Light & Power voluntary program, all money donated/received will go towards providing financial assistance through the Hospitality House of Boone for those in the NRLP service area that need help with their electric bills. Your donation can make a real difference for someone such as an elderly resident, a struggling family, or perhaps someone with unexpected medical bills or a job layoff. With your assistance, neighbors will be helping neighbors keep the basic service of electricity flowing.
• If You're Homeless: In order to stay at the shelter, you must provide verification of homelessness. This may include an eviction notice, a statement from a family member or friend or a statement from a community member. Use the forms in the link for verification. Call us at 828.264.1237 on the day that you become homeless. We typically have a waiting list so you'll need to add your name. If we have space available, we'll ask you to arrive for check-in at 4:30. Since we are a 90 day program, you will be asked to agree to our guidelines and meet with a service coordinator to assess your situation and set goals for acquiring housing while you are with us.

Get Involved

• Volunteer: When you give of your time to help others, you will touch lives while enriching your own. In 2011, volunteers worked a total of 8,997 hours...the equivalent of over 4 full time staff positions. We are always looking to engage volunteers in new and creative ways. Put your passion into action by helping us with things like Summer Gardening: Vegetable & Beautification, one-on-one mentors, and more-- you can bring us your own ideas too!  For more information about how you can become involved in the volunteer program, please fill out the inquiry form at the bottom of page in the link.
• Donate: 1. The 365 Project-- Your $1 A DAY provides 1 night of shelter, 3 healthy meals and services for 10 people! Your assistance is needed all year long! 2. #GivingTuesday-- click here to go to another link to donate however much you can.
• Hospitality House Events: Hospitality House has many opportunities to get involved. Join us for an upcoming event and learn more about our programs, services and people that we serve. Register quickly and easily using our online forms!

Lives Rebuilt

Hospitality House exists to offer a place in which those who are experiencing homelessness can come to begin the process of rebuilding their lives. Residents who follow-through with our guidelines and work on their individual plan for moving into stable housing have an 82 percent success rate. Here, a few of our residents have chosen to share their stories.