WeHOPE is celebrating its
25th anniversary!

This year, we are thrilled to celebrate 25 years of imparting hope to hopeless situations. Over the past quarter-century, our work has touched the lives of many individuals and their families, making an undeniable impact in our local community. This hope-filled journey contains countless stories of resilience, empowerment, and transformation. We are proud of what we have accomplished together in this community, and with this community. And, we are even more excited about what's to come. As we look forward to the next 25 years, we remain committed to our mission and are eager to continue making a difference for those experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area and beyond.

25 YEARS. $25K

25 YEARS. $25K

In honor of our twenty-five years of service, you can support our work with the '25 Years - $25K' campaign! You can help us make a significant impact that will be felt by someone experiencing homelessness. We have an audacious goal - $25K.

Your Support Means:

  • That we can add 40 more shelter beds. In our Building Bright Futures Initiative we’re expanding our space from 6,000 to 20,000 sq. ft., thereby providing more homeless individuals with a safe place to stay.

  • That we can give showers and laundry services (and restore hope and dignity) to our homeless brothers and sisters. We want to reach more people in need and provide them with basic necessities and case management services.

Our History

  • 1999

    WeHOPE was founded by Pastor Paul and Cheryl Bains in response to the need in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to provide families with hope and positive solutions to homelessness, drugs, violence, illiteracy, and other elements that hinder the positive development of young lives.

  • 2000

    Lord’s Gym Community Center opens in East Palo Alto. The Lord’s Gym programs were designed to achieve positive outcomes for young people ages 13-25.

  • 2004

    WeHOPE Chaplaincy program is established to support victims of crime within the East Palo Alto community, law enforcement, and their families. Each time there is a homicide or a shooting in East Palo Alto, one of 15 trained chaplains are called to the scene to offer spiritual, emotional, and physical aid.

  • 2009

    WeHOPE Warming Shelter opens (in the Lord’s Gym) to meet the needs of our homeless brothers and sisters. With the support of community partners and the faith-based community, WeHOPE provided overnight shelter, food, dental care, health services, and transportation to those in need. WeHOPE receives its first San Mateo County Grant in support of WeHOPE Shelter.

  • 2010

    The first EPA Community Connect event takes place, connecting clients with service providers within San Mateo County.

  • 2012

    WeHOPE Shelter undergoes renovations to meet the demand for shelter programs and services.

  • 2013

    WeHOPE opens as a year-round emergency homeless shelter for adults.

  • 2014

    WeHOPE formally launches the Transitional/Supportive Housing Program. Congresswoman Jackie Spier attends the annual Community Connect and presents WeHOPE with a special recognition award.

  • 2015

    WeHOPE Launches HOPE Jobs. Initial program funding was provided by the San Francisco Community Foundation.

    ‍Dignity on Wheels’ (DoW) first mobile hygiene unit is launched, serving at the Fair Oaks Community Center in Redwood City. Major funding for the first hygiene unit was provided by Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County.

  • 2016

    WeHOPE’s second DoW vehicle hits the road to primarily serve the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County. Major funding was provided by the Sobrato Family Foundation, Santa Clara County, the City of San Jose, and multiple private donors.

    WeHOPE is recognized by CA State Senator Jerry Hill as the Nonprofit of the Year, serving District 13.

    ‍WeHOPE services are provided in both San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

  • 2017

    WeHOPE provides DoW service support to first responders addressing the San Jose floods.

    WeHOPE expands its services to 3 counties.

    DoW provides its 10,000th shower and 3,500th load of laundry.

  • 2018

    WeHOPE purchases its building headquarters at 1854 Bay Rd for its permanent home. Leadership gifts included contributions from the Pau Family, Sobrato Family, and San Mateo County.

    WeHOPE launches its Family Harvest food program in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank to meet the needs of community members facing food insecurity.

  • 2018

    Two additional DoW vehicles hit the road with the generous support of Micron Technology and an anonymous donor.

    WeHOPE provides DoW service support to first responders fighting the Oakland and Santa Rosa Fires.

    WeHOPE expands its services to 4 counties.

    WeHOPE’s organizational budget surpasses $3 million.

  • 2019

    WeHOPE’s administrative offices undergo renovations to expand their staff capacity and add a conference room.

    WeHOPE Shelter's operating hours expand to 24 hours.

  • 2019

    DoW’s fifth vehicle hits the road with the generous support of Whole Foods.

    WeHOPE’s RV Safe Parking program launches in partnership with the City of East Palo Alto. CZI provides a lead gift in support of the program.‍

    WeHOPE provides DoW service support to first responders fighting the Paradise Fires.

  • 2019

    WeHOPE celebrates its 20th anniversary and celebrates with a refreshed logo.

    DoW provides its 25,000th shower and its 9,500th load of laundry.

  • 2020

    WeHOPE launches Hope Health Mobile with the generous support of the City of San Jose.

    In response to COVID-19, WeHOPE has increased the total number of individuals it serves by more than 40%.

    WeHOPE adds four units to its Mobile Homeless Services fleet to address the need brought on by COVID-19.

  • 2020

    WeHOPE provides DoW service support to first responders fighting the Boulder Creek Fires.

    DoW provides its 25,000th shower and its 9,500th load of laundry.

    ‍WeHOPE’s organizational budget surpasses $5 million. DoW’s sixth mobile hygiene unit hits the road with the generous support of the City of San Jose.

  • 2022

    WeHOPE was awarded a contract from San Francisco to transition from a SIP shelter to a non-congregate shelter. This 95-bed shelter employs 30 staff members. In response to COVID-19, WeHOPE increased the total number of individuals served by over 40%. WeHOPE added four units to the fleet to address COVID-19 concerns.

    The sixth mobile hygiene unit of DOW hit the road.

  • 2023

    The DoW's fleet was comprised of ten trucks, which included seven water tanks and generators, two pick-up “utility” vehicles, and one water tender. The fleet also featured eight comprehensive trailers equipped with showers, laundry facilities, and toilets, one standalone shower trailer, and two trailers that combined shower and toilet facilities. Additionally, there was one ADA-compliant restroom trailer, one laundry-only trailer, and two restroom-only trailers.

    We ended the year with two more trailers under construction.

  • 2024

    To date, WeHOPE retired one truck and have added a new truck and trailer to the fleet, rounding WeHOPE back up to ten trucks, nine trailers, and eight water tanks.

DONATE NOW!

With your gift, ensure another 25 years of hope, dignity, and impact for those experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area.

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQS

  • In addition to the East Palo Alto Shelter, we manage a non-congregate shelter at the former Monarch Hotel in San Francisco, now known as the Monarch site. Our Dignity on Wheels program offers mobile showers, restrooms, and laundry facilities that travel to locations frequented by homeless people. Through our H.O.P.E. Jobs program, we provide training, certification, and job placement opportunities. Every week, our Family Harvest initiative offers free groceries to individuals and low-income families with children in the East Palo Alto community. Additionally, we provide life skills training and education focused on enhancing emotional intelligence for our clients.

  • WeHOPE collaborates with more than 30 vital organizations, churches, municipalities, and others to make this program a reality.

  • WeHOPE's congregate shelter facility currently has a capacity of 73 beds at the East Palo Alto Shelter. With an upcoming expansion of 38 beds, the total capacity will reach 111 beds. Additionally, at the Monarch Site, we have 100 rooms.

  • WeHOPE was established in 1999 by founders Pastor Paul and Cheryl Bains.

  • Dignity on Wheels is a program started by WeHOPE. It provides traveling mobile hygiene services, such as showers and laundry facilities, to those experiencing homelessness in 5 counties and 22 cities in the Bay Area.

  • The Dignity on Wheels program started in 2015 with one truck and trailer. We are delighted to announce that we now have nine combination units (laundry, showers, and restrooms), three shower-only units, one laundry-only unit, one ADA unit with a full bathroom including a shower, and two restroom-only trailers in our fleet.

  • Our community can support and get involved with WeHOPE in several ways. First, you can make a donation, either monetary or in-kind, to help fund our programs and services. Second, volunteering your time and skills can greatly benefit our organization and the people we serve. Lastly, spreading the word about WeHOPE, our mission, and our impact can help raise awareness and bring in additional support.

  • WeHOPE's mission has evolved significantly over the past 25 years. We started with a dedicated group of volunteers, with a focus on addressing homelessness in our local community. Today, we have grown to over 120 employees and have developed six comprehensive programs that tackle homelessness, including our innovative Dignity on Wheels initiative. We have expanded our reach to serve 5 counties and 22 cities, continuing to grow and adapt to meet the changing needs of our community.

  • WeHOPE evolved from an inclement weather shelter to an emergency shelter open 12 hours a day. We then expanded to 24 hours operation and introduced skills classes, job training, Dignity on Wheels, and Hope Jobs. We also support recidivism through Dignity at Work. In 2018, WeHOPE acquired a 10,000 sq ft building to accommodate our shelter and operations. We expanded Dignity on Wheels from one county to five.

    In 2020, we inaugurated our first non-congregate shelter in San Francisco.

    In 2019, we collaborated with East Palo Alto city to launch our RV Safe Parking Program, marking the first such partnership with the city. By 2023, we successfully sunset the program after securing housing for the last family.

    To learn more about our journey, please refer to the timeline.