In 1993, the plight of homelessness was abundantly clear to the People of Christ Church Cathedral. Church parishioners only needed to step outside of the Cathedral doors in the heart of downtown Houston, to understand how severe the issue of homelessness was for the city. Realizing it was a problem they could not ignore they set to work securing a decent place to live for those with no where to call home.
The solution began with a challenge - the Church asked their parishioners to participate in a dollar-for-dollar fundraising campaign to restore the historic Cathedral structure with the promise that for every $1 raised, $1 would be matched to invest in community solutions. They raised $1.25 M to incorporate New Hope Housing and build the first 40 units of single room occupancy (SRO) rental housing in Houston. This humble beginning launched three decades of serving Houston’s most vulnerable residents. We graciously acknowledge our friends at Christ Church Cathedral for laying the foundation needed to give hope to more than 13,000 people.