The Danville Regional Foundation has named House of Hope as the winner of the 2025 B.R. Ashby, M.D. Award for Outstanding Community Service.
This award, in the amount of a $60,000 general operating grant, honors outstanding community service in the region by a nonprofit organization based on success in helping families and individuals overcome significant challenges.
“For the past 10 years, House of Hope has provided safe refuge to those who don’t have a place to stay in our community,” said Clark Casteel, President and CEO of Danville Regional Foundation. “This emergency homeless shelter provides guests with a comfortable place to rest, warm meals and most importantly dignity and respect. DRF is pleased to award the 2025 B.R. Ashby, M.D. Award for Outstanding Community Service to House of Hope.”
Besides food and shelter, House of Hope also seeks to identify each guest’s unique challenges so they can be connected to needed services. Anyone and everyone are welcome to stay at House of Hope, provided they meet a few requirements such as having an ID, having no active criminal warrant, and having no conviction for sexual misconduct.
“House of Hope is most often the last resort for many people in our community,” said Rev. Ryan Busby, president of the board of directors for House of Hope and senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Danville. “Our tireless staff and volunteers make sure that their last resort is a place of welcome, safety and respect. We are honored to receive this award and to continue to provide these things for our neighbors in need.”
There are two core programs at House of Hope currently. First, the emergency shelter program has expanded to three sections to meet the unique needs of different populations. Phil and Fran’s Place, the initial shelter, houses men, while Norma’s Place serves women and their children. In the past year, the shelter opened two larger rooms downstairs in the Phil and Fran section to serve larger families – especially those with husbands, wives and children.
Second, House of Hope is an active part of a larger housing coalition called the “West Piedmont Better Housing Coalition.”. The facility became a coordinated entry point for the Housing Coalition, referring guests to housing partners to help them secure stable, permanent shelter. These referrals include assessing level of need using a common “Vulnerability Index of Tool” to make sure that people with deeper, more complex needs, can be prioritized.
“The needs in our community for the unhoused have only grown in recent years,” said Busby. “With our recent expansions, our capacity has doubled and so with it has the costs associated with staffing and facilities. The Ashby Award will help us to grow well by hiring an executive director to lead the shelter day-to-day and to develop a day program for homeless adults as they work to transition back into the community.”
To learn more about House of Hope and how you can be a part of this work, visit their website at www.danvillehoh.org.