House of Hope

The Jesus Center has announced plans for a facility to help women transition out of homeless shelters and into self-sufficiency.

The House of Hope is being sponsored by the Chico Association of Realtors, which will financially cover the first year of operations for the home, as well as furnish it and help mentor the women who live there. A house that could hold up to 10 women has been tentatively selected, but the exact location is being withheld to help protect the future tenants’ privacy.

Shelly Watson, director of services at the Jesus Center, will manage the new facility. She is also the director of the Sabbath House, the center’s homeless shelter for women and children. According to a Jesus Center press release, the Chico realtors group approached the center with the idea, hoping that other organizations will follow suit and lend a hand to the down-and-out.