Leah Stockton, director of development and engagement for Keys Health and Housing, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the organization.
Keys Health and Housing is preparing to expand its housing services beyond Key West with a new supportive housing project for women and women with children in Marathon. Hope House will provide housing for women experiencing a variety of crises, including financial, health and housing challenges.
“We are excited to get this rolling,” Stockton said. “It will be a supportive housing program for women and women with children.”
The organization has purchased the Marathon property and is currently completing surveys and assessments while working with a contractor. The goal is to break ground in 2027, with the facility potentially opening within 12 to 18 months after construction begins.
Hope House will provide housing for up to 20 women for as long as three years. During that time, residents will receive case management and other supportive services designed to help them become financially and personally stable enough to move into the next stage of their lives.
Stockton said the program is different from a traditional homeless shelter or domestic violence shelter.
“It’s really just intended to be support,” she said. “Nearly every person has a point in their life where they needed somebody to help them along with that next step, and this is intended to be that for the women in our community.”
A woman could qualify for Hope House after losing her housing because a landlord sells a property, for example, or while recovering from a serious illness. The program could also serve women experiencing domestic violence, with Keys Health and Housing working with local domestic abuse service providers to provide appropriate assistance.
One of the most unusual aspects of Hope House is its financial component. A private donor is underwriting the entire cost of the project, including operations.
Residents will pay program fees while they live at Hope House, but instead of being retained as rent, that money will be placed into an interest-bearing savings account.
At the end of the three-year program, the woman will receive the savings in full. Stockton said the amount could reach $30,000, providing money that could be used for a vehicle, education, a home down payment, security deposit or even starting a small business.
“So she’ll have her own money that she has worked hard to save up over these three years to do so,” Stockton said.
Stockton said Hope House will also fill a significant gap in Monroe County. She noted that there currently is no women’s supportive housing, transitional shelter or similar program serving women outside Key West.
The project comes as Keys Health and Housing continues its transition from its former identity as A.H. Monroe and Florida Keys Outreach Coalition. The organization announced the Keys Health and Housing name in March and plans to launch a new website in October that will bring the organization’s programs and initiatives together under one online presence.
The new website will include information about Hope House, other housing projects and health initiatives in Key West and throughout the Florida Keys.
Meanwhile, Keys Health and Housing continues to have some availability at The Lofts in Key West. Stockton said August marks one year since residents began moving into the housing development in Bahama Village.
The Lofts is located near Truman Waterfront and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. Availability depends on household income and family size.
Stockton encouraged residents who need assistance with health or housing challenges, as well as those interested in volunteering, advocating or supporting Keys Health and Housing, to contact the organization.
Hope House represents another step in the organization’s effort to address housing needs throughout the Florida Keys.
“Anybody out there listening that needs help with health or housing-related challenges, they can also reach out to us,” Stockton said.
For more information, click here: https://keyshh.org/