ASHLAND, KY (WOWK) — A local nonprofit in Ashland came into a sizeable amount of money to help those in need get items which many don’t realize are actually needed.
“Do you have pots and pans? Do you have silverware? Do you have cups? Sheets? Towels? All those things, that’s like the most common things we get asked for. And sometimes we have them, and sometimes we don’t,” says Charley Dalton, an AmeriCorps case manager with Shelter of Hope.
Shelter of Hope in Ashland is a nonprofit dedicated to trying to meet needs like these throughout northeastern Kentucky.
“We provide emergency transitional shelter for a period of time and we also provide housing assistance for anybody who’s homeless. Families, individuals, and we also have an area that we set aside for veterans,” says Debbie Sivis, executive director of Shelter of Hope.
Serving Boyd, Carter, Greenup, Elliot, and Lawrence Counties, the nonprofit is tuned in to the specific needs of the area.
“When they come in here, they have nothing. Sometimes they only have a bag of clothes, you know especially when you’ve got kids and everything. You can’t afford to replace all that stuff,” says Tammie Gullett, an AmeriCorps housing counselor with Shelter of Hope.
To help cover costs of getting people back on their feet, they applied for a grant from The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and were awarded more than $7,000 dollars to put together what they’re calling ‘household moving kits.’
The household moving kits include items which are necessary when you’re moving into a new home but might be difficult to get from a traditional shelter.
“Dishware, pots and pans, silverware, towels, sheets, pillows, bedspreads. We don’t get a lot of that stuff donated to us, it’s very hit or miss,” Dalton says.
The shelter hopes with the extra supplies, people will be able to get back on track.
“We’re finding the more support you give folks, the better chance they have of staying housed,” Sivis says.
Shelter of Hope anticipates being able to use these funds to assist around 33 households with the items.
For more information on Shelter of Hope, visit their website here.
