About Hope Services
Hope’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs.
Hope Services is Silicon Valley’s leading provider of services to people with developmental disabilities and mental health needs. “Developmental disability” means a severe and chronic disability attributable to a mental or physical impairment that begins before adulthood, such as intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and Down syndrome. In addition, we serve those who have mental health conditions. We serve approximately 3,700 people and their families in nine Bay Area Counties and provide a broad spectrum of services.
Hope also operates a number of businesses to raise funds and provide employment for people with developmental disabilities, including a recycle/reuse business for clothing and household goods, auto donations, HopeTHRIFT stores, and staffing solutions for businesses.
Our History
In 1952, a group of concerned parents of children with special needs came together to change the way young people with developmental disabilities were treated. These courageous parents believed that their kids deserved the same opportunities as everyone else.
Among their earliest achievements was opening one of the first preschools for these children. That year, 12 children with developmental disabilities walked through the door of a one-room schoolhouse in San Jose and entered a new world – a world where they could receive an education and make friends.
The founding families of what later grew to be Hope Services left a lasting legacy that reflects the simple philosophy that has guided the mission of Hope: to improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health needs.
Our Funding
Hope Services receives partial funding from the state, through regional centers. The Lanterman Act created 21 regional centers throughout California to ensure that people with disabilities get the services and supports they need to live like people without disabilities. The regional centers receive funding from the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), who in turn fund services providers such as Hope.
To help close the funding gap, Hope relies on revenue from its businesses, grants, and donations. See How You Can Help for more on how to support us.
Our Values
- We value quality of life for individuals with disabilities of all ages. Hope encourages exploring dreams, making choices, pursuing meaningful opportunities and developing relationships that promote a safe and healthy life.
- We are committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct in all that we do. We believe that honesty, integrity and transparency engender trust.
- We recognize that the success of our agency depends on the effective management of our fiscal resources and on the talent, skills and expertise of our team members. We embrace diversity and believe that respect for all those with whom we interact is an essential element to positive and productive relationships.
- We understand the importance of our responsibilities and the trust our clients and stakeholders place in us. With this in mind we perform with excellence in every aspect of our services.
- We value a solution-oriented team approach in pursuit of our mission. We embrace leadership resulting in a shared feeling of empowerment and success.
Improving Lives
Our eight indicators for improving the lives of the individuals we serve:
- personal development
- self-determination
- interpersonal relations
- social inclusion
- rights
- emotional well-being
- physical well-being
- material well-being
Long-Term Vision
- We will lead with initiatives that help develop society’s acceptance of people with disabilities.
- We will promote a common understanding that the world is a better place when people with disabilities are fully integrated and accepted in all aspects of our culture and community.