Nonprofit Hope of the Valley is expanding its homeless outreach to more communities starting next year

NORTH HILLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Nonprofit organization Hope of the Valley started off as a small rescue ministry in Sun Valley. It’s now transformed into a homeless outreach organization with a number of facilities throughout the San Fernando Valley.

The organization says it will be expanding its homeless efforts beyond the San Fernando Valley. Starting Jan. 1, Hope of the Valley will officially change its name to Hope the Mission.

“How does someone just come into your life and give you everything you need? How does someone just open the doors to their program and say, ‘We’re going to help you,'” said Chantel Lopez, receptionist for Hope of the Valley .

Chantel Lopez was a single mother with twin daughters living in an apartment with her mother, her sister Brenda and her nephew. After being evicted in 2019, Chantel said she was facing homelessness and had no choice but to move into a motel with her family.

“We were lost with hope, with faith. All the doors we thought were going to be open for us were closed,” Lopez said.

The doors opened back up for Chantel when her sister told her about Hope of the Valley. The nonprofit has been helping the homeless over the past 13 years by providing food, shelter and services.

CEO and founder Ken Craft helped Chantel and her family get free housing at one of the program’s facilities in Chatsworth.

“They had been through a really hard time and they were able to come out the other side,” Craft said.

Chantel and her sister were able to get back on their feet and are now employees for the organization.

“One of them runs our job center and the other runs our front office here. And it’s so exciting to see people come through very difficult times and rise above the challenges,” Craft said.

Hope of the Valley has over 1,400 beds at 15 locations, including Tiny Homes located in six villages throughout the Valley.

“There are still so many people living in encampments and suffering and languishing on the streets. So it is our responsibility to do anything and everything we possibly can,” Craft said.

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