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Hospitality House Expands in Wilkes, Scattered Site Units Added for Homeless, Disabled

Fresh off the heels of their first-ever nonprofit food vendor appearance at MerleFest, Hospitality House announces an expansion of services into Wilkes County.

“As a resident of Wilkes County, I have been looking for additional opportunities to assist the ever-increasing number of homeless individuals and families in my home county,” states Hospitality House executive director Tina Krause. “We started this process nearly three years ago, engaging several concerned citizens and local congregations; to see it coming to fruition moves us another step forward.”

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Hospitality House Facilities Manager Jordan Duke and Executive Director Tina B. Krause

As the only twenty-four hour homeless service agency in the seven-county region of Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Alleghany, Yancey and Mitchell, Hospitality House has been serving Wilkes since 1995. During 2015, Hospitality House provided a total of 35,725 nights of food, shelter and supportive services, with Wilkes County residents making up fourteen percent of that total.

The fifty-two Wilkes County residents supported by Hospitality House last year, equates to one person per week being transported to Boone for assistance.

Says Wilkes County native and Hospitality House board member Gary Newman; “Being able to assist folks, right here on the ground in Wilkes County, has been of goal of mine since joining the board of directors in 2014.”

The physical expansion into Wilkes will begin with two Scattered Site Housing locations that will serve families and individuals living with a disabling condition. This program facilitates independent living for residents in the community, while also providing supportive services and intensive case management.

Several prominent businesses, individuals and churches have been instrumental in making this extension of services a reality.

“It’s really exciting for all of us to partner with you, and the local churches, to do something to help you expand services here in Wilkes County,” states a representative from a local firm that wishes to remain anonymous. “From what we have learned about Hospitality House, it seems clear that the housing needs in our region are great. I hope this can be the beginning of a long chapter in your story.”

Hospitality House, a proud member of the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, continues to work in partnership with several local church congregations and mission teams and is closely aligned with the Wilkes County Department of Social Services, Wilkes County Schools, Wilkes Regional Hospital, The Health Foundation, h.o.p.e. Ministries and United Way of Wilkes.

For additional information, please contact Todd Carter at todd@hosphouse.org or 828.264.1237 ext. 107.

To learn more about Hospitality House, visit them online at www.HospHouse.org, follow them on Twitter @HospHouseBoone or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HospHouse