New Hope Shelter

09/10/2026

DID YOU KNOW?
Young Adult Homelessness Is Often Hidden.
Young adults experiencing homelessness do not always look the way we expect homelessness to look.
They may be sleeping on a friend’s couch, staying in a car, moving from place to place, or paying for a hotel room for a few nights when they can. This is often called hidden homelessness—and it can make young adults especially vulnerable.
Young adults experiencing housing instability may face:
• Family conflict, dysfunction, or abuse
• Poverty and a lack of affordable housing
• Aging out of foster care or other systems without adequate support
• Depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges
• Increased vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking
Recently, New Hope Shelter had the opportunity to serve two young adults who found themselves homeless with nowhere safe to go.
A 19-year-old young woman came through our doors needing more than a bed. She needed safety, stability, support, and someone willing to walk alongside her.
Our case management team, working with community partners, immediately got to work.
Just 10 days later, she moved into safe, permanent housing.
But our work didn't stop at finding an apartment. Our case management team went beyond simply helping her secure housing and worked to make sure she had the resources and support she needed to begin this next chapter successfully.
Not long after, an 18-year-old young man came to New Hope with nowhere else to turn.
Again, our team dug in. We provided a safe place to stay while case management worked alongside him and other agencies to identify resources, overcome barriers, and find a permanent solution.
Fourteen days later, he had a safe, affordable place to call home.
Ten days.
Fourteen days.
Two young adults who could have easily become part of the statistics surrounding youth and young adult homelessness.
Instead, they had somewhere safe to turn.
This is why New Hope Shelter is more than just a bed.
Trauma-informed shelter, compassionate case management, strong community partnerships, and individualized support can change the direction of someone's life.
For these two young adults, homelessness was part of their story.
It did not have to become their future.
New Hope Shelter
Safety. Stability. A Way Forward.
More Than Just a Bed.

Send a message to learn more

08/26/2026

❤️ 746 DRINKS DONATED! ❤️

We want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Living Light Church for their recent juice and drink drive benefiting New Hope Shelter!

Their church family came together and donated an incredible 746 drinks for the men, women, and families we serve. 🧃

And these drinks will have an even bigger impact than you might realize.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Women’s Giving Circle, New Hope Shelter is able to provide lunches for our guests to take with them during the day. Many of our guests are heading to work, looking for employment, attending appointments, meeting with service providers, or taking other important steps toward finding permanent housing.

Having a healthy lunch and something to drink means one less thing they have to worry about while they are working toward stability.

Living Light Church’s donation of 746 drinks helps us stretch those grant dollars even further, allowing us to purchase additional food and keep our lunch program going longer.

This is what community partnership looks like. 💙 One organization provides grant funding, another comes alongside us with donations, and together we are able to make resources go further for the people who need them.

Living Light Church, thank you for showing up for our guests in such a BIG way! Every one of those 746 drinks represents generosity, compassion, and a community that cares.

At New Hope Shelter, it really is about More Than Just a Bed.

Safety. Stability. A Way Forward. 🏠❤️

Send a message to learn more

08/24/2026

Happy Birthday Lou Ann from New Hope shelter!!!

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08/19/2026

💙 DID YOU KNOW? 💙

When a guest first arrives at New Hope Shelter, one of the first steps in our intake process is helping them get clean, comfortable, and settled in.

Every new guest is asked to shower, and we wash their clothing and belongings before they are brought into the shelter. While their things are being washed and dried, we provide them with a clean set of scrubs to wear.

We try very hard to get those scrubs back—but as you can imagine, sometimes they don't make their way back to us. 😊 Because of that, our supply has gotten very low!

👕 WE ARE CURRENTLY IN GREAT NEED OF:
Scrub tops and bottoms in sizes SMALL and MEDIUM

New or gently used scrubs are greatly appreciated!

This may seem like a simple donation, but it helps us provide every person who walks through our doors with a clean start and a little dignity during what can already be a difficult day.

If you would like to help New Hope Shelter—and the men, women, and families we serve—by donating scrubs, please call us at 231-468-2022 and let us know when you may be able to drop them off.

📍 Donations can also be dropped off at the shelter between 2:00–9:00 PM, when staff are available to receive them.

Thank you for continuing to help us provide more than just a bed. 💙

New Hope Shelter
Safety. Stability. A way forward.

Send a message to learn more

08/12/2026

Craig’s Story: A Journey from Homelessness to Hope
Due to circumstances beyond his control, Craig experienced homelessness for an extended period of time. Without a safe place to call home, he often slept outside through every season—including during dangerously cold, below-zero temperatures.
Living on the streets meant more than simply not having a roof overhead. Every day brought uncertainty and concerns for his personal safety. Over time, Craig learned that survival meant staying guarded and relying primarily on himself. With little support to turn to, feelings of fear, isolation, and hopelessness became part of his everyday life.
After several attempts, Craig took a courageous step toward changing his circumstances and beginning his journey home.
When Craig came to New Hope Shelter, our first priority was to provide something homelessness had taken from him: a safe place to rest and the opportunity to begin rebuilding trust.
Through compassionate, trauma-informed engagement and consistent case management, Craig began developing relationships built on trust and respect. The protective walls that had helped him survive on the streets slowly became less necessary as he experienced a safe and supportive environment.
New Hope staff walked alongside Craig as he worked toward permanent housing. Through collaboration with other local agencies, Craig received assistance obtaining important documents, completing housing applications, connecting with essential services, and navigating the barriers standing between homelessness and a home of his own.
And then came the moment everyone had been working toward:
Craig found permanent housing.
Having a home brought more than a key and an address. It gave Craig the stability of knowing where he would sleep each night. He no longer had to spend his days worrying about where he would find shelter or how he would stay safe.
His story began to change.
Hopelessness became hope, independence, and stability.
Loneliness became connection with people who genuinely cared about his future.
Fear became safety, stability, and the ability to trust again.
Craig did the hard work of moving forward. New Hope had the privilege of walking alongside him, providing the shelter, support, resources, and encouragement he needed along the way.
Today, Craig’s story reminds us why our work is about more than just a bed.
A bed provides someone a safe place to sleep tonight.
Hope, support, and community can help them find their way home.

Send a message to learn more

08/11/2026

💚 NEW HOPE SHELTER IS HIRING! 💚

Are you looking for more than just a job? Do you want to come to work knowing that what you do can make a difference in someone's life?

New Hope Shelter is looking for compassionate, dependable people to join our team as Shelter Support Coordinators.

Working at New Hope isn't always easy—but it is meaningful. Every day, our staff have the opportunity to provide safety, encouragement, dignity, and hope to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our community.

We're looking for people who can be compassionate while maintaining healthy boundaries, work well as part of a team, stay calm during challenging situations, and treat every person who walks through our doors with dignity and respect.

As a Shelter Support Coordinator, you'll help:

Maintain a safe and welcoming shelter environment
Support and interact with our guests throughout their stay
Use trauma-informed approaches and de-escalation when challenges arise
Work alongside a team that genuinely cares about the people we serve
Help provide the stability and support our guests need as they work toward permanent housing and a new beginning

Experience in social services is helpful, but it is not required. We are looking for the right people—people who are dependable, willing to learn, able to work as part of a team, and who believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and compassion.

If you want a job where your work has purpose and where you can truly make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

📩 Interested in joining our team?
Contact Michelle Munn, Executive Director
📧 [email protected]
📞 231-468-2022

New Hope Shelter
More Than Just a Bed.
Safety. Stability. A Way Forward.

Please share this post and help us find the next great members of the New Hope team! 💚

Send a message to learn more

08/06/2026

✨ A Huge Step Forward for New Hope Shelter! ✨

We are incredibly excited to share that our new commercial washers and dryers have officially been delivered! 🎉

This project was only possible because of the incredible generosity of our donors, businesses, churches, and community members who believed in this need and invested in the people we serve. Thank you! Your kindness is making a lasting difference.

At New Hope Shelter, we know that clean clothing is about so much more than laundry.

For someone going to work, attending a job interview, meeting with a landlord, visiting a doctor, or taking their children to school, having clean clothes restores confidence, dignity, and hope. It allows people to present their best selves as they work toward stable housing and a better future.

Our previous machines had served us well for many years, but they were struggling to keep up with the hundreds of loads of laundry we do each month for the individuals and families staying at the shelter. These new commercial units will help us provide reliable, efficient laundry service while reducing downtime and repair costs, allowing us to better steward our resources and continue serving our community well.

This is another reminder that we are more than just a bed. We are committed to providing the essentials that help people take the next steps toward independence, stability, and hope.

To every person who donated, shared our campaign, encouraged us, or prayed for this project—thank you. Because of you, our guests will continue to have access to something many of us take for granted: the dignity of clean clothing.

Together, we are changing lives, one act of kindness at a time. ❤️

08/05/2026

🌿✨ A Milestone Worth Celebrating! ✨🌿

We are so excited to share that our new playground and landscaping project at New Hope Shelter is now complete enough for our children to enjoy—and they are officially able to play!

While we still have a few special additions planned in the coming weeks, we couldn't wait to celebrate this incredible milestone. Seeing children smile, laugh, and simply enjoy being kids in a safe, welcoming space is exactly what this project was all about.

This project would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of the Rotary Club of Cadillac, the Cadillac Area Community Foundation Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), our dedicated volunteers, board members, local businesses, and every individual who donated their time, talents, and resources to make this dream a reality.

The beautiful landscaping and playground have transformed our outdoor space into a place of hope, healing, and joy for the families we serve.

At New Hope Shelter, we are more than just a bed. We believe every person deserves a safe place to stay, and every child deserves a safe place to play. During a time that can be filled with uncertainty, this playground provides children with something priceless—a place to laugh, explore, make friends, and simply be children.

To everyone who picked up a shovel, spread mulch, planted flowers, assembled equipment, donated materials, or supported this project in any way—thank you. Your generosity will have a lasting impact on the children and families who call New Hope Shelter home during their journey.

Stay tuned! We have a few more exciting touches to add, and we can't wait to share the finished vision with you. Until then, we're thrilled that the children are already making wonderful memories on their new playground.

Together, we're building more than a playground—we're building hope. ❤️

07/29/2026

🌟 Another Exciting Playground Update! 🌟

Every day brings us one step closer to something truly special at New Hope Shelter!

Our playground continues to take shape, and we couldn't be more excited. Before long, the children and families staying at the shelter will have a safe, welcoming place to play, laugh, and simply enjoy being kids.

Play is so much more than fun—it helps children heal, build friendships, reduce stress, and experience a sense of normalcy during what can be a very difficult season in their lives. That is why this project means so much to us.

We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club of Cadillac, the Cadillac Area Community Foundation YAK, and the amazing volunteers and New Hope Shelter board members who have generously given their time, talents, and hard work to make this dream a reality. Your investment is creating hope for the families we serve.

At New Hope Shelter, we are committed to being more than just a bed. We strive to provide a place where individuals and families can experience safety, stability, hope, and the opportunity to move forward.

Stay tuned—we're getting closer every day, and we can't wait to share the finished playground with all of you! 💙🏡