About Us
A Home For Good
Hope's Journey is a housing program designed to give every man in our community that struggles with housing and that wants to change, the fundamental skills they need to lead a healthy, self-sufficient, and Christ-centered life.
By providing a stable and caring home we hope to create an environment in which our neighbors can learn how to care for themselves. We will provide the information, framework and spiritual support needed to reach this goal.
We hope that each person who joins our house will accomplish the goal of self-reliance through a planned program lasting six months to a year. We hope that through being in our house, our residents will learn the skills the need to go from being homeless to having a home for good.
Filling The Service Gap
The idea for Hope's Journey came out of seeing how great of a need there was in the Harrison area for a program for homeless men.
Hope's Journey is not a drop-in homeless shelter or an addiction treatment center. There are many addiction treatment centers in the Cincinnati area and we do not believe that there is a need for more of those at the moment. We also do not believe that drop-in shelters actually treat the root cause of homelessness, but instead treat a symptom. Drop-in shelters also encourage homeless people to come to that area, which ultimately hurts the community the drop-in shelters are in, instead of helping.
Instead, we wanted to fill the service gap from addiction treatment to a regular life. Many homeless people have very little money or possessions and no support system. We want to give those people in our community the hope that if they go to rehab, they will have a place to go when they get out.
The way our ministry works, we do not incentivize homeless people who aren't already in our community to come to our community. Instead we incentivize the homeless people who are in our community to get into rehabilitation programs and off the streets because they know they will have a support system to help them get their life back on track when they get out.
Hope's Journey makes sure that all of our residents are employed and have transportation to and from work. Since our residents are drug tested before they come in, are drug tested while in the house, and are under consistent observation by our two live in managers, employers who hire Hope's Journey residents can be confident that they will be at work, on time and sober.
We are not bringing homeless people to the Harrison area, but instead getting homeless people off the streets, into their own homes and with gainful employment. A community is only as strong as its weakest members. We believe that by helping these men to get off the streets and into a stable house, we are improving the community as a whole.
House Manager:
Joe Lorenz
House Manager
Our Board:
Donald J. Meyer
President
Personal Life: Lived in Harrison from 1979 - 2007; Married over 50 years raising 4 Children in the Harrison Community
Work Life: Practicing Lawyer in Harrison for 40 years; Owns office at 1005 Harrison Avenue; Member of St. John The Baptist 42 years; Serving as Deacon; Member of St. Vincent DePaul - 13 years; Founding Member of Hope's Journey
Community Involvement: Taught History and Government at Harrison Highschool; Served on Southwest Local School Board 1980 - 2000; Commencement Speaker 1976-77; Several District Schools Earned National Excellence Awards;
Why Hope's Journey: "I worked with the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. John the Baptist and as a jail Chaplain at the Hamilton County Justice Center for the past several years and with other persons serving the needy in our community. The need for a men's cooperative home in our community is readily apparent since we have no where in Harrison where men can stay when they struggling to get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. I want to help make Harrison a better place. As a team we have heard the call of Jesus in the gospel to love your neighbor as yourself. When Jesus asked in the gospel who is my neighbor He told us the parable of the Good Samaritan. The man who loved his neighbor as himself was the one who found the victim of the a robber battered on the side of the road, came to his assistance and saw that he was cared for. We are told by Jesus in the gospel to go and do likewise.
Hope's Journey is responding to those already living in Harrison on the side of the road in our community and who are broken and need to be restored. That is why we setup Hope's Journey as a non-profit 501(c)(3) to work on this mission and I am grateful to be serving as President of the Board."
Raymond Roll
Co-Treasurer
Personal Life: Was Resident of Harrison and member of St. John The Baptist for 16 years.
Work Life: Retired - Worked at P&G in finance for 29 years; When not snow-birding in Florida worked for a good numbers of years for Whitewater Park.
Community Involvement: Member of St. Vincent DePaul Conference at St. John The Baptist Harrison Ohio; Founding Member of Hope's Journey
Why Hope's Journey: "I have seen the face of Jesus in those in need here in Harrison. Up till now there has been nothing we could do to help restore them. Now we have a chance to make a difference."
Sandy Brielmaier
Co-Treasurer
Personal Life: Celebrated 46 years of marriage this year and have raised 2 children in the Harrison area. Have 5 beautiful grandchildren ranging in age from 2 years to 18 yrs!
Work Life: Worked over 30 years in the consumer marketing arena, at Drackett, Hill-Rom, and as a marketing consultant. Worked 10+ years in a family business, Esther Price Candies.
Community Involvement: Past President, St Vincent de Paul Cincinnati District Council and Board Member; 25+ year member of St John Baptist St Vincent de Paul, serving as President for 6 years.
Why Hope’s Journey: I believe everyone deserves a second chance and Hope’s Journey provides the structure and spiritual guidance to help men reshape their future if they have the heart to do so. This is what makes working on the Board meaningful to me
Joe Maas
Secretary
Personal Life: Harrison Resident - 37 years; Member of St. John The Baptist; Children attended all grades St. the Baptist School and Harrison High School
Work Life: Owner, JTM Food Group. "JTM all my life"
Community Involvement: Reach Out Pregnancy Center - Guardian Of Life; Harrison Chamber Of Commerce - Corporate Citizen of The Year; Board Member of the Harrison Chamber of Commerce, Harrison Mayor's Fund, Hope's Journey, Board Member The Health Resources Center (free clinic mental health services), Southwest Ohio Meals On Wheels
Why Hope's Journey: “Why Hope’s Journey”? When Don Meyer asked me to help provide a home to the homeless in Harrison who need direction to regaining independence I jumped at the opportunity. It tears my heart out to see our neighbors in Harrison who have no place to get out of the weather especially in the winter. While I am proud to be a member of the Harrison Community I can see the lack of needed social services. In my lifetime I have seen over and over again so many people that have found success after they were lent a helping hand. I am saddened to see a few Harrison residents who would rather keep their foot on the necks of those in need rather than reaching out a helpful hand. "
Dennis Esterkamp
Board Member
Personal Life: Lives in Delhi, Attended Roger Bacon High School; Ohio; Member of Crossroads Christian Church - 19 years
Community Involvement: Whitewater Crossing Church - Marriage Ministry, Divorce Care Ministry, Prayer Team Ministry, Small Group Leader, Intake Volunteer for the Life Center and Resource Team, Financial Resource Coordinator of Life Center; Harrison Area: Board Member Hope's Journey
Why Hope's Journey: "In my capacity at the Life Center I was able to start a partnership with all the West Side Saint Vincent DePaul conferences to help assist our neighbors in need. If we could not assist and individual on our own due to Budget restraints and assistance guidelines, Partnering with one of the conferences allowed us to assist more individuals in their time of need. It is because of one of these successful partnering requests with St John the Baptist Church, that led me to be invited to join the Board of Hopes Journey. Since our Life Center does not have the Resources to help homeless individuals long term, this seemed like a perfect fit. I accepted that invitation and was approved to join Hope’s Journey."
Michelle Almond
Board Member
Personal Life: Harrison Resident; Attended Harrison High School; Member of Restoration Christian Church - Cleves, Ohio;
Work Life: LPN at Interim Healthcare; Deaconess Foundation; Shriners Hospital for Children;
Mark Phillips
Board Member
Personal Life: Mark is a lifelong Harrison resident and graduate from Harrison High School. He's been a member of LifeSpring Christian Church in Harrison since 2018.
Work Life: Mark works as the Executive Director of Christ's Loving Hands.
Community Involvement: Executive Director for Christ's Loving Hands, worship team keys leader at LifeSpring Church, Video Producer for LifeSpring Church, Member of LifeSpring's Dream Team, Board of Directors for Hope's Journey and member ex-officio of Harrison Mayor's Community Fund
Why Hope's Journey: Mark joined the Board of Hope's Journey in 2021 at the request of President Don Meyer. Through his work at Christ's Loving Hands, Mark saw the need for something like Hope's Journey in Harrison and decided that being a member of the Board was a fitting way to support it. Being a "millennial" he is able to provide some unique skills as well as a different viewpoint and he wanted to bring these skills and views to bear in order to best support a positive program in the area.