Bridge of Hope’s Core Values

The Bridge of Hope network and partners embrace these values as we engage in ending homelessness for families, who are primarily comprised of single mothers and their children.

Following Jesus

  • We follow Jesus as our example in embodying love and holding out hope to homeless families.
  • We follow Jesus as we engage in mutual relationships with vulnerable families in a way that offers dignity, respect, and lasting impact.
  • We follow Jesus, recognizing our triune God as our life source and depending on prayer to empower us to fulfill God’s purposes through Bridge of Hope.

Embracing the Church

  • We embrace the Christian faith communities (churches, Bible studies, house churches, etc.) as the vital link for ending homelessness for women and children.
  • We embrace groups of Neighboring Volunteers from within Christian faith communities that provide tangible supports, encouragement, and friendships that homeless and at-risk families need.
  • We embrace and draw staff, board members, and Neighboring Volunteers from Christian faith communities who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Choosing Hope

  • We choose hope by respecting each woman and child participating in the program, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith, or life experience.
  • We choose hope by building on each individual’s strengths and offering a solution to homelessness that emerges as all of us bring our strengths to the table.
  • We choose hope by promoting transformation and positive changes which occur in the life of families facing homelessness, staff, Neighboring Volunteers, board members and other volunteers through their involvement in Bridge of Hope.

Practicing Cultural Humility

  • We practice cultural humility because our faith teaches us that everyone is our neighbor, equally valued and beloved by God.
  • We practice cultural humility as the primary tool for advocating alongside those experiencing social injustices that perpetuate homelessness, including racism, sexism, and poverty.
  • We practice cultural humility by equipping all who are involved with Bridge of Hope to grow and develop a deep understanding and utilization of the three tenets of cultural humility: life-long learning and critical self-reflection, recognizing and challenging power imbalances, and creating institutional accountability.
  • We practice cultural humility by committing ourselves to becoming a network of staff, board, Neighboring Volunteers and supporters that represents the diversity of the kingdom of God.

Cultural Humility

Brought to you by Bridge of Hope National board member, Dr. Bob Hewitt, and his wife, Dr. Nicole Hewitt.

Three Principles of Cultural Humility and Our Institutional Commitment

Structural inequities based on race and economic status continue to be major contributors to homelessness. Bridge of Hope uses the model of Cultural Humility as a primary tool for walking with those experiencing social injustices that perpetuate homelessness, including racism, sexism and poverty. The racial disparities in homelessness and the connections between racial discrimination, housing and socioeconomic status are core motivators for Bridge of Hope’s commitment to Cultural Humility.

Our board has committed a significant portion of its meeting times to reading, watching, conversing and learning together from a variety of resources on social and economic justice issues related to issues of homelessness and housing in America. It has particularly focused on race as a social construct, racism in the church, housing discrimination and other societal factors that directly and indirectly impact homelessness.

Our board commits to building partnerships that promote respect and economic and social justice. To fully engage with our neighbors, we must recognize that who we are impacts the way we show up. Whether because of our race, our gender, our class, or a myriad of other factors, some of us hold privileges that create imbalances in who has power and who has access to power. As we seek to walk together as neighbors in ending homelessness, it is essential to recognize the ways in which power imbalances impact our ability to truly connect with each other. The Neighboring Volunteer training developed in 2017 includes a significant focus on cultural humility. This posture invites others to teach us and empowers others to tell their own story and to create their own future.

Perhaps the most important tenet of Cultural Humility for a national body such as Bridge of Hope is the ability to be transparent in our aim to hold ourselves accountable to those we serve. While it is necessary and important to examine and work to change the various systems that lead to disproportionalities in those who become homeless, we must also ensure that we are not also contributing to inequitable outcomes. Do the families we serve match the population of families experiencing homelessness? Are people of different races served equally and equitably in our network? Are our staff and board representative of the diversity of our communities and the people we serve?

In this regard, Bridge of Hope has intentionally woven Cultural Humility into every critical area identified in our newly adopted strategic plan. We are committing to actionable, measurable goals to live out Cultural Humility and we seek to equip Bridge of Hope locations across the country with tools to promote racial and social equity in their services.