The History of Hope

In 1983, a group of concerned women from Mineral Wells discovered a woman and her children living under a bridge on the Brazos River. After talking to her, they learned that she was living under the bridge because she had run away from her abusive husband and had no where else to go. This touched the hearts of these caring women so much that one of them took this woman and her children into her own home and cared for them until they could get on their feet again.

Helping this needy family opened their eyes to the problem of Domestic Violence in their community and they soon discovered that there were many other women in Mineral Wells and the surrounding communities who were staying in abusive situations simply because they had no where to turn to for help. They decided they needed to do something about this horrible situation and so Hope, Inc. was born and they became Hope's first Board of Directors. The Board of Directors has changed many times over the years but some of the original founders are still serving on the Board.

Hope, Inc. is located in Mineral Wells, Texas and is a non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and staffed with trained personnel. To find out more about our trained staff, click on any of the underlined staff member's names. Our Executive Director is Lisa Huffaker, our Victims Advocate is Kathy Smith, our Sexual Assault Advocate is Michelle Robinson, and our Licensed Counselor & Play Therapist is Judy Fowler. Our Translator is Delores Rodriguez and we have 5 Case Workers who are available to help our residents 24 hours a day.

Hope has been housed in a 100 year old home for over 23 years but with the help of several individuals and groups including the Porsche Club of America, we are in the process of building our new 4,500 square foot facility. We are hoping that our new shelter will be ready for us to move into sometime this summer.

This photo was taken by Liza Orchard on December 19, 2004 at the ground breaking ceremony for our new shelter. In the foreground with shovels in their hands are 4 members from the Porsche Club of America (from left to right are Bill Middleton, Rocky Johnson, Mark Gluck, and Keith Olcha).

Standing in the background are a few members of Hope, Inc's Board of Directors, including our President, March Williamson (in the black jacket and blue jeans), First Vice President, Phil Luker (in the maroon jacket and blue jeans), our Executive Director Lisa Huffaker (in the red jacket and black slacks),  and our Secretary, Joy Eaton (in the grey pantsuit).

Our Mission Statement

Hope, Inc. exists to eliminate domestic violence through intervention, offering shelter, counseling, support, and education to promote the healing of abusive relationships.

Would you like to help make a difference in your community?

Call the phone number below if you would like to volunteer your time or make a donation to Hope, Inc.