The news was just official, but word had been making the rounds that Hope’s Door and New Beginning Center were combining their efforts. The first obvious clue was the “Save The Date” postcard that arrived in the mail mid-July. It was for Friday, September 16 fashion show featuring Abi Ferrin clothes at the Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park.
As impressive as it was that Luncheon Chair Janet Dorsett had arranged for Florence Shapiro to be the honorary chair, it was curious that both Hope’s Door’s and New Beginning Center’s logo were on the card as beneficiaries.
Evidently the rumors proved to be true with the announcement of the pending merger of the two organizations that have been helping those in domestic abuse situations since the 1980s. It all becomes official on Thursday, September 1.
According to Hope’s Door CEO Jim Malatich, “This unification will allow us to gain financial efficiencies in our administration allowing us to shift those resources to serve our clients more effectively. Hope’s Door will be able to offer an increased capacity for emergency shelter, additional services including counseling programs and intervention and prevention classes at seven locations in both Dallas and Collin counties.”
While combining the two staffs and boards, it is interesting to note that both organizations will keep their names.
For the official word, follow the jump for the press release.
Hope’s Door and New Beginning Center Merge
The larger organization will provide services to a greater number of clients at seven locations in Collin and Dallas Counties
As of September 1, 2106, Hope’s Door and New Beginning Center will be fully merged. Both agencies have provided services to individuals overcoming intimate partner and family violence for over 30 years.
Jim Malatich, CEO of Hope’s Door said, “This unification will allow us to gain financial efficiencies in our administration allowing us to shift those resources to serve our clients more effectively. Hope’s Door will be able to offer an increased capacity for emergency shelter, additional services including counseling programs and intervention and prevention classes at seven locations in both Dallas and Collin counties.”
Hope’s Door and New Beginning Center provide free services to more than 13,000 individuals in the North Texas region. Most of the clients reside in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Rockwall Counties.
North Texas is experiencing a population boom and the agencies are facing an increase in demand for their services. The shelters in Garland and Plano currently house 55 people at any given time. Together, they provide shelter to approximately 750 individuals annually.
Hope’s Door initially began as a 24-hour crisis hotline and was incorporated in 1986. Since then, Hope’s Door has expanded its programs to include individual and group counseling for adults and children, case management, legal advocacy, community education programs, rapid rehousing, and specialized children’s care. Two Battering Intervention and Prevention Programs (BIPP) are conducted by the agency.
In 1997, Hope’s Door opened a resale store available to the public and clients. With the merger, there are now two store locations, one each in Plano and Garland. All proceeds from the sale of items at the stores go directly to support the programs and services offered at Hope’s Door and New Beginning Center.
New Beginning Center opened it nonprofit doors in 1983. In addition to shelter and counseling, New Beginning Center provides an extensive number of Community Educators to work with more than 8,000 middle school and high school students and more than 1,000 community leaders. These engaging programs teach respect and boundaries and heighten awareness of intimate partner and family violence. The agency looks forward to maximizing its resources to provide an optimal level of care for the families served.
“Our goal is to expand our many active partnerships with both community and government organizations to end the cycle of violence,” said Colleen Jamieson, Chief Financial Officer.
Board members from both New Beginning Center and Hope’s Door will continue to serve on the board and the agency will have a significantly larger budget. During the transition, grant applications will include information from both New Beginning Center and Hope’s Door, allowing for grantors to clearly understand future expectations for the agency.
Locations: Hope’s Door at 860 F Avenue, Suite 100, Plano, TX 75074. Admin: 972.422.2911. Crisis Hotline: 972.422.7233. https://hopesdoorinc.org, and New Beginning Center at 218 N. 10th St., Garland, TX 75040. Admin: 972.276.0423. Crisis Hotline: 972.276.0057. https://newbeginningcenter.org.
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