Kara Ramos
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
A one-year residential program for women struggling with drugs, alcohol and abuse, South Georgia House of Hope announced plans to create a chapel and educational space Thursday.
The non-profit organization has partnered with ChrisMill Homes for the project and is asking area businesses, churches, civic organizations, citizens and groups for any possible assistance with labor, supplies and donations.
The chapel and educational space will be housed in a storage barn on the House of Hope property.
The projected cost of renovating the storage barn is $56,000.
ChrisMill Homes has made a commitment to House of Hope to begin construction once half of the money has been raised. The money will cover the cost of the necessary supplies.
Once an old farm house, House of Hope is located in a remodeled home in Lake Park. Sharon Wagner opened it in 2004.
When Ernie Norton, a partner with ChrisMill Homes, first visited House of Hope in December, he had a positive experience with the women.
“They are committed to what they’re doing and to changing their lives,” he said. “I was completely moved by what I saw out there. I left a changed man.”
Currently, the 10 women living at House of Hope share one bedroom and one bathroom.
However, renovating the storage barn would provide more space and a second bathroom.
The renovation would also provide a classroom, a worship center, prayer room and space to counsel women.
Currently, when family members visit every other Saturday, everyone is crammed into one room together. A larger space would provide a better environment to worship and receive education for the women and their families.
“(One reason) we want a worship center (is because) they love to dance, not anymore in clubs, but for the Lord,” said Wagner, director of South Georgia House of Hope. “They act like silly little girls. They’re free. They’re happy.”
Wagner is excited about the project because it will help to improve the lives of women.
“Together we can do it,” she said. “We can make a difference.”
House of Hope is a non-profit organization that receives funding from local churches, businesses and private donations.
Wagner, a recovering addict, started the program in 2004 with the support of her husband, Rick.
“I know that God can do great things with ordinary people,” she said. “The Lord transformed me, so I wanted to share that with women.”
South Georgia House of Hope is a one-year home for women struggling with drugs and alcohol. Ten women are admitted at one time to improve their relationship with God, where they can then “find freedom, healing and wholeness,” as stated on the organization’s Web site. The goal is to “instill responsibility, dependability, and sensitivity, which will create women of God who will make a difference in their families, church, communities and the nations,” according to the Web site.
Women begin their day with quiet time and devotions, where they can express themselves through journaling. During the afternoon and evening, they work together through gardening and organic farming, attend personal and group studies, and receive individual prayer and counseling.
With roughly 2,500 women struggling with addiction in Valdosta, and even more families being affected, House of Hope offers more than a program for women — it offers a home, said Wagner.
For more information or to make donations to South Georgia House of Hope, call (229) 241-2707 or visit www.southgeorgiahouseofhope.org.
