HOPE BEYOND BRIDGES

Hope Beyond Bridges (HBB) is on mission to Restore HOPE to the homeless by meeting spiritual, emotional, and physical needs because a bridge is NOT a home. HBB has been serving our homeless friends every Saturday for the last 13 years. We have established ourselves as trustworthy, faithful, and non-judgmental advocates for the homeless community. HBB has many established relationships with other agencies and ministries that value our insights and expertise. As Co-Founder, and Executive Director, I started Hope Beyond Bridges in 2008 because God placed a calling on my heart to reach out and serve the forgotten, marginalized, and often ignored homeless individuals in the greater Houston area. By God’s grace, HBB has served over 93,600 hot meals, delivered 110,000 hygiene kits, and has served the homeless along I-45, 670 Saturdays without interruption.
The homelessness epidemic is fueled by, but not limited to, traumatized individuals who, absent spiritual, family, or community support, turn to drugs, and alcohol to numb the pain of their past. Despite what most believe, the majority of homeless are not lazy, dangerous, or mentally ill. They have suffered complex repetitive trauma and/or complex developmental trauma from an early age, and this experience wires their brains contrary to God’s design. Hope Beyond Bridges knows through experience our weekly outreach & feedings allow us to build relationships, establish trust, hear their stories, and learn their names. There is incredible power in a name. Our ministry is a relational ministry like Christ was relational – valuing each life as uniquely made in the image of God. Our desire is to restore HOPE, see recovery & restoration from substance abuse, and assist them to exit homelessness permanently. HBB believes and has seen over our 13 years of weekly engagement focused on meeting felt needs allows us to earn their trust and build friendships. We want the homeless to see, hear, smell, taste, and experience the love of Jesus Christ through our interactions. Through our actions, we earn the ability to speak the gospel into their lives as the Holy Spirit guides us. By God’s grace, we have seen some accept the grace of Jesus and begin transformation through recovery & discipleship. We believe every interaction is ordained by God and every prayer we lift on behalf of those we serve has an eternal impact.
Our ministry model to accomplish our mission involves partnering with local churches. Our faithful partners purchase food and supplies, provide the commercial kitchen required for food preparation, and the volunteers to go out and serve the food. Our focus has always been outside the 610 loop and out to the suburbs. Each week, we provide a hot nutritious meal, something cold to drink, a hygiene kit, clothes, shoes, bug spray, blankets, and on occasion, medical supplies, but most importantly, we offer encouragement and prayer. The results of the 2020 annual point-in-time count published June 23, 2021, and organized by the Coalition for the Homeless Houston recorded 3,567 homeless residents in Harris County, of which 1,515 were living on the streets rather than in shelters.