The House of Hope Foundation, a San Pedro nonprofit founded to support women with substance abuse issues, will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Norris Theatre in Rolling Hills Estates.
The celebration, dubbed “A Tapestry of Hope,” will also serve as a fundraiser and will feature stories from those who have been helped by House of Hope. There will also be live musical performances, and the nonprofit will present its “Spirit of Service Award” to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Grammy Award-winning songwriter/musician Paul Williams for their support of House of Hope.
Mercedes Hernandez, community engagement coordinator, said House of Hope is a residential treatment program with nearly 80 beds, an outpatient program and a sober living program.
“We do stand by our model where we don’t turn away women who are looking for treatment,” Hernandez said. “Even some of our staff are alumni of the House. We are extremely dedicated to women. A lot of our women (were) previously in the jail system and they come to us straight from jail, sometimes don’t even have clothes on their back.”
Some the women they help are homeless or struggling to pay rent, Hernandez said. But through House of Hope, she added, they can “solely focus on their recovery.”
“We’ve had women who literally knock on our door, looking for a bed,” Hernandez said, “and if there is one available, our intake coordinator will walk her through the process and get her placed almost the same day.”
And because the nonprofit has a “strong foothold in (L.A. County’s) recovery community,” Hernandez said, if its staff can’t place someone within 24 hours, “we’ll call one of our four community partners.”
House of Hope was founded in 1955 in a one-bedroom apartment in Long Beach and eventually moved to the South Bay in the early 1970s.
“We started off with a two-bedroom home,” Hernandez said, “and now we’ve expanded to nine properties within the San Pedro area.”
The House of Hope hosted talent shows annually for 10 years until COVID-19 hit — but on Sunday, one talent show alum will return.
“We have one of our talent show winners coming to to perform at our celebration,” Hernandez said. “It’s just a wonderful way just to not only celebrate our 70th anniversary, but also bring back some of the talent from our previous shows.”
Paul Williams, known for hit songs he wrote for Three Dog Night, the Carpenters and many more, was involved in the early fundraisers, inspiring the idea of a talent show for House of Hope, Hernandez said, and he “was a big part of the recovery community.”
“A Tapestry of Hope” will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, in Rolling Hills Estates.