6,189 Times, Hope Answered

Dear Friends of Mobile Hope,

More than 15 years ago, Mobile Hope began with a simple belief: when a young person reaches out for help, someone should answer. 

Since then, 6,189 young people have reached out to Mobile Hope.

I keep coming back to that number. 6,189 isn't simply a statistic in an annual report. It represents 6,189 individual stories. Young people who needed food. A safe place to sleep. A job. Identification. Transportation. Mental health support.

Someone to help them navigate a system they didn't understand. And sometimes, they simply needed someone to believe they could make it. 

For more than 15 years, we have tried to be that someone. But the truth is, Mobile Hope has never done this alone. From A to Z, This Community Shows Up.

When people think about the organizations fighting youth homelessness, they may picture nonprofits, government agencies and social service organizations. 

But some of the greatest partners in Mobile Hope's history might surprise you. They come from everywhere. From Ashby Ponds, Battery Warehouse and Comfort Cases to, X-rays, Youth for Tomorrow and Zello. 

They are businesses, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, corporations, foundations, civic organizations, faith communities, first responders, government agencies, neighborhood groups and individuals. 

Some write checks, some donate food, some provide jobs, some give clothing, furniture, vehicles, professional expertise, and in kind support. Some make a phone call or introduction that opens a door we hadn’t opened ourselves. Some volunteer every week. 

And some simply ask one of my favorite questions: "What do you need?" 

Over the years, the answer to that question has changed thousands of times. 

Because youth homelessness is complicated. Youth Homelessness Is Like Peeling back an Onion.

People sometimes think solving homelessness means simply finding someone an apartment. 

I wish it were that simple. 

After more than 15 years of doing this work, I often describe youth homelessness as peeling back an onion. You address one layer, only to discover another underneath. 

A young person needs a job—but doesn't have identification. 

We help get the identification, but now transportation is the barrier. 

We solve transportation, but years of trauma have made keeping a job difficult. 

You get the job, but you have no mailing address, so they use ours. 

They get mental health help and need a prescription, but they have no insurance. 

They finally get insurance, but their card was never received or was stolen. 

They finally have income, but their credit prevents them from renting an apartment. They find an apartment, but they have no furniture, security deposit, rental history or understanding of how to maintain a household. 

For another young person, the layers may include mental health, substance use, childcare, immigration issues, education, legal problems, family instability or simply never having had an adult teach them the basic skills many of us learned at home. 

So we peel another layer. And another. And another.

Sometimes they move forward. Sometimes they fall backward. 

But we keep showing up, and so do they. 

Because we have learned something incredibly important: Housing isn't the finish line. Stability is. 

This Year, Something Extraordinary Happened 

For the first time in Mobile Hope's history, more than 15 young people we served over the last 3 months are now stably housed. 

Fifteen. 

Young people who once wondered where they were going to sleep now have something most of us take for granted.

A key. An address. A bed. A door they can close. A place to call home. 

That deserves to be celebrated. 

But there is another part of this story that our community needs to hear. 

Most of these young people could not remain in Loudoun County. The cost and availability of safe and affordable housing meant that, in order to become stably housed, they had to make an incredibly difficult choice. 

They had to leave. 

They left behind friends, jobs, transportation, networks, familiar surroundings, and, perhaps most importantly, the support system they had worked so hard to build. 

Imagine finally reaching stability only to discover that achieving it requires you to leave the community that helped you get there. 

That should concern all of us. Our challenge going forward isn't simply helping young people find housing. It is finding ways for young people to achieve stability without having to choose between an affordable home and the community that supports them. 

Behind Every Number Are Hundreds of Hands

There is another group whose impact can never adequately be captured on a spreadsheet: our volunteers. 

Our volunteers sort donations, distribute food, stock shelves, mentor young people, prepare events, cook lunch, invite us on field trips, wrap Christmas gifts, organize our distribution warehouse, serve families, and step into countless roles whenever we need them. 

Our volunteer committees bring another extraordinary resource—their expertise. 

People share their professional knowledge, relationships, ideas, creativity and experience because they believe in our young people. 

And there is something beautiful about watching that happen. 

A volunteer gives an hour. That hour helps solve a problem. Solving that problem creates an opportunity. 

And sometimes that opportunity changes the trajectory of a young person's life. 

That is impact. 

Trust Matters 

There is something else I want our community to know. We recognize the tremendous responsibility that comes with your trust. 

Every donation, every grant, every hour volunteered, and every item placed into our care represents someone's decision to believe in Mobile Hope and the young people we serve. 

We take that responsibility seriously. We are proud of our commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship.

Because impact isn't only about doing good. It is about doing good responsibly. 

More Than 15 Years Later... 

Mobile Hope looks very different from what it did when we started.

The needs are greater. The organization is larger. The challenges facing young people are more complicated. 

But one thing hasn't changed. 

We answer. 

When a school or the county calls because a student or stranger has nowhere to sleep, we answer. When a young person walks through our doors carrying everything they own, we answer. When a family needs help with resources, we answer. 

When someone needs an advocate, a job, transportation, clothing, identification, mental health support, or simply someone willing to listen, we answer. 

And when we don't have the answer?

We call one of you. Our partners. Our volunteers. Our donors. Our community. 

And time after time, you answer too. 

That may be the greatest story of Mobile Hope. 

Not that one nonprofit has served 6,189 young people. But that an entire community has decided those young people matter. 

So as we celebrate more than 15 years, I don't simply want to tell you what Mobile Hope has accomplished. 

I want to thank you for what we have accomplished together. 

To every donor who gave $5 or $50,000. 

To every business that opened its doors. 

To every foundation that believed in our work. 

To every school that trusted us with a student. 

To every community partner that picked up the phone. 

To every volunteer who gave us an hour. 

To every staff member who stayed late because a young person was in crisis. 

To every board and committee member who shared their expertise. 

And to every young person who trusted us enough to say, "I need help, or know someone who does." 

Thank you. 

There is still so much work ahead of us. 

There are more onions to peel. More barriers to remove. More doors to open. 

More young people who need someone to answer. 

And we will. 

Because for more than 15 years, 6,189 young people have reached out to Mobile Hope. And 6,126 times, hope answered back. 

With enormous gratitude, 

Donna Fortier 

CEO/Founder Mobile Hope