Hope House (PA)

In pursuit of its mission, Hope House in Midland, Pennsylvania sought approval from city officials to operate their newly renovated Subject Residence.  Their hope was to house single females and women with children who needed shelter.

Hope House’s plan includes providing food, personal hygiene products, diapers, baby formula, laundry detergent, and other items to meet their personal needs. In addition to basic shelter, and as an expression of their Christian faith, Hope House will also provide residents with support for workforce development, financial planning, and biblical counseling—basic life skills needed to live an independent and productive life. These practices are tenets of Hope House’s Christian faith and convictions they hold to serve their local community.

By providing shelter, assistance, and training to vulnerable women and children at no cost to the taxpayer, Hope House is contributing to the overall well-being of the community.

However, city officials denied the Plaintiff’s request for opening and operating their Subject Residence, which would provide these important services, protection, and care to the community’s vulnerable women and children.

Hope House is asking the city to reconsider and do the right thing. The city is treating Hope House profoundly unfairly, simply because the organization is religious. This religious discrimination against a ministry is egregious and wrong. As a result of the city’s current stance, homeless women and children are not being protected and cared for, which is a direct disservice to the city’s own community. Ministries like Hope House should be celebrated, not hindered, because its ministry helps vulnerable citizens by providing valuable resources and education, which, in turn, alleviates and helps the city as well. It’s puzzling why the local government seeks to burden Hope House whose efforts in the community help the homeless and provide support for those in need. But, instead, it is choosing to turn a cold shoulder and deny them the resources for a better life.

In March 2024, First Liberty Institute and the law firm K&L Gates LLP filed a federal lawsuit against the Borough of Midland for denying the request from Hope House.

“It’s indefensible that a city would purposefully stop a ministry to homeless women and children simply because they are religious,” said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for First Liberty. “By providing shelter, assistance, and training to vulnerable women and children at no cost to the taxpayer, Hope House is contributing to the overall well-being of the community.”

“The city is treating Hope House profoundly unfairly,” said H. Woodruff Turner, attorney for K&L Gates LLP. “The actions of the city appear to be to discourage women, deny them shelter and resources while robbing them of any hope for a bright future.

The lawsuit states that the First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religious expression and compassionate practices that Hope House seeks to provide the needy women and children of the community.