story by Hope House | photos by Greg Campbell & Hope House
Since opening its doors in 1995, Hope House has evolved through donor, staff, and volunteer support into a comprehensive social services agency serving 33 children and more than 430 adults.
In 1994, AIDS was the leading cause of death for all Americans ages 25 to 44. The previous year, a group of women from the Junior League of Memphis saw the desperate need for childcare among mothers with HIV. They imagined a daycare for HIV-positive infants and pre-school children, enabling their mothers to focus on their health. The group formed a board of directors, scouted properties and applied for and received state funding.
Hope House officially opened its doors at 23 S. Idlewild in 1995, serving only five children. The daycare’s address was never publicized, and no sign marked its location to protect the safety of staff and the families who used it. As the AIDS epidemic grew, so did the daycare. Soon Hope House added social services to support the mothers.
With the advent of treatments to prevent transmission of the virus from mother to fetus, fewer babies were born with HIV. Today, Hope House provides care to 33 children whose families are affected by HIV, and, fortunately, very few children are born with the HIV virus.
As the world of HIV treatment has evolved, so has Hope House. Today, its mission is to improve quality of life for HIV-affected children and their families, as well as individuals, by providing high- quality early childhood education and social services. More than 430 adults with HIV receive Hope House services. With nearly 7,000 Memphians living with HIV, there is still a lot of work to do.
In recent years, Hope House has developed services to support transgender individuals with HIV. Patients with HIV can be put at risk while undergoing hormone therapies and surgical procedures without proper medical care. Hope House works to connect transgender clients with specialists in the medical community who understand these complex medical cases.
What began as a daycare center in 1995 has evolved through donor, staff and volunteer support into a comprehensive social services agency serving both children and adults.
Anyone who walks through the doors at 23 S. Idlewild instantly becomes part of the Hope House family. If you meet someone who has been affected by HIV and needs help, please tell them to come see us.
After discovering she was HIV-positive in 2012, Latrina and her children found their way to Hope House. Now, Latrina is able to help people who have HIV overcome their fears and get the care they need through her job as a community health worker at a local research hospital.
A shy, HIV-positive, transgender woman from Mississippi, Michelle, was living in her car and deeply depressed when she first walked into Hope House. The staff secured a place where she could live while focusing on her therapy and medical care. After completing the resumé class, Michelle was hired by a Memphis company for a customer service position. More than a year later, she earned a raise.
Michelle helped found the Transgender Women’s Support Group at Hope House, and it continues to grow to
serve more members of Memphis’s transgender community.
Michelle has always been active in the Women’s Support Group at Hope House, but there were transgender issues that no one else in the group shared. In 2016, Michelle and her caseworker began Hope House’s first Transgender Women’s Support Group. Michelle was the only member. Eventually, word spread and now five to 10 women typically attend.
For the past two years, Carol has been volunteering every week in the infant and toddler rooms at Hope House.
Hope House
23 South Idlewild Street
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 272-2702
hopehousememphis.org
