The Hope Center at Pullen exists to accelerate the rate of change for some of Raleigh, NC's most vulnerable people — men and women who are chronically homeless. Since starting in 2008, a 14-member board, one executive director and dozens of volunteers have pulled together to provide guidance, friendship and vital life skills to these adults especially, but others as well, who because of poverty struggle everyday.

Service to and advocacy for disempowered individuals has been a hallmark of the nonprofit's founding faith organization. "At Pullen" is in deference to Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. When creating a facility for the nonprofit, congregants did so as an act to "do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God." (Micah 6:8)

On our own merits, The Hope Center at Pullen [501(c)3], with support of neighboring residents, citizens groups and local government, is becoming an effective cog in Raleigh's essential network of private, nonprofit service providers.

Located on the edge of downtown, we are ideally situated for referrals from partner organizations. We operate two programs:

• (1) The Job Readiness Program, which annually matches 10 chronically homeless or marginally-housed adults with mentors who help the men and women over a six to eight month period seek stable full-time employment
• (2) The JobLink Access Point Program, which provides walk-in job seekers — mostly referrals from organizations serving people living on low incomes — a convenient place to conduct employment searches via online databases and to receive help to prepare resumes and applications.

Through mentoring and one-on-one assistance, we nurture unconditional positive regard for one another. In the short-term, our efforts empower program participants to gain self-confidence through acceptance. Long-term, our efforts set the stage for participants to transition successfully to a work environment, employment program and/or educational opportunity, which in turn lead to greater stability in their lives.

Note: From July 2009 to June 2010, we operated the Wiley Tutoring & Enrichment Program to strengthen the reading aptitude, self-esteem and social skills of elementary, middle and high school students as they progress through school to graduation. An evolution of the Wiley-Pullen Partnership that created an ongoing neighborly interaction between church members and families with children enrolled at Wiley Elementary International Magnet School, the tutoring program reverted back to Pullen Memorial for oversight beginning fall 2010.