See Your Impact
Welcome to Hope for Freedom’s 2023-2024 Annual Report. Take a look and see what you’ve helped make possible this year.
In this Report:
Recovery Saves Lives.
As we step back and take a look at the past year, it’s hard not to think of the loss this community has endured.
The BC Coroner's Service reported that toxic, unregulated drugs claimed the lives of at least 2,511 people in BC in 2023. This was the largest number of drug-related deaths ever reported to the agency in a single year.
While hope endures, people across BC are dying every day from using drugs.
At Hope for Freedom Society we are committed to keeping our doors open and our program accessible to anyone who is ready to break free from addiction. We know, as you do, that recovery saves lives.
I am grateful to our community of people in recovery, as well as our donors, volunteers, church supporters and friends. Because you believe in second chances, over 4,000 people have graduated from our Recovery Program and built a life of stability, joy and freedom.
I hope you are encouraged by our Annual Report, which shows the incredible dedication of this community. Please read on for stories from Kira, Celine and others who have a different life today because you have shown compassion and care when it matters most.
Dennis Fagan
Executive Director, Hope for Freedom Society
Port Coquitlam, BC
Our Vision
Our vision is to care for, bring joy and meaning to every person suffering from addiction, and homelessness who comes to our community. We envision a world where every person is living up to their God-given potential.
Our Mission
Our mission is to create conditions that will give every person in our home the ability to succeed in breaking free from their addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Who We Are
Hope for Freedom Society is a non-profit organization that serves the Tri-Cities community through homeless outreach services and addiction recovery homes. With compassion, an open door, and the love of Christ, Hope for Freedom cares for people that are suffering from addiction and are seeking a path to freedom.
Addiction Recovery
At the heart of it, Hope for Freedom has always been first and foremost a community of people in recovery.
Our abstinence-oriented program provides men and women with the resources, education and compassionate support they need to break free from their addiction and establish a new life.
We incorporate the 12-step program for addiction recovery with life-skills development, relapse prevention, anger management and a community of faith. Leaning heavily on our 25 years of experience and a dedicated core team of alumni, volunteers and staff, Hope for Freedom operates a proven recovery program.
A year and a half ago, I was thrown into a jail cell. I had lost my freedom, in every sense of the word.
I felt as though I had turned my back on God and that I was poison — hurting everyone I came in contact with.
I may have given up on myself that day, but God had other plans.
For 12 years of my childhood, I silently endured molestation at the hands of my stepfather. My mother never knew until one day, when I was 14, I finally said enough is enough. He was thrown in jail and convicted.
The damage had been done though. I told myself I was a victim. The trauma was my crutch and I gave him power over my life for years — I couldn't let go and numbed my pain with an addiction to alcohol.
I tried treatment but it didn't stick. Forgiving my stepfather was my key to freedom. But I wasn't ready.
I relapsed and continued down a darker path.
My son was born but I was too selfish to be a parent — I couldn't stop using. He was placed in the care of my mother.
Kira’s Story: Finding Freedom in Forgiveness
I started using heroin. I was trying to numb all of my feelings — all of my pain. I was so angry at the world and even more angry at myself. I carried so many resentments and while I knew they didn't help me, I also liked them because it gave me a good reason to keep using.
And then I found myself in a jail cell.
When I put on my prison-issued jumpsuit, putting on the armor of God flashed across my mind. I had grown up atheist but at a treatment center a few years ago, they had introduced me to God.
Now, in this moment, I thought about fully surrendering to God and asking Him to use my life, my will and to do with me what He wanted. I was tired and ready to give up that life.
My lawyer and I called Hope for Freedom. As it turns out, they were the only recovery center that answered the phone when caller ID said it was the prison calling.
I was released to their care with a monitoring bracelet around my ankle and I have been putting in the hard work every day since to find true freedom.
I am sober. I have forgiven my stepfather, my mother and myself. I have reestablished a relationship with my son. I no longer look at my past and think of myself as a victim. I look back and see my past as something that happened for me, not to me, and I share that message with the other women at Hope for Freedom.
Today, I am free and I am victorious. I have let go of anger and resentments and all of the negativity.
God showed me a picture a long time ago. We were walking on the beach together. I kept tripping and stumbling and His big, outstretched hand was always there waiting for me to take hold.
Finally I took His hand and we started running.
In our Recovery Homes
We had an 86% occupancy rate across all five recovery homes in the Tri-Cities last year.
25% of our residents were unhoused before entering recovery with nowhere else to go.
32% of our residents came to us directly from prison, seeking support as they rebuild their lives.
“One of my reasons for keeping sober is that I have a little one at home. My daughter will start Kindergarten next year. Being a Dad is awesome. Scary, but awesome. The life I’ve built since I came to Hope for Freedom is beyond what I dreamed for myself.”
- Wes, HFFS Board Member and Recovery Program Graduate
With the summer heat upon us, our Homeless Outreach & Advocacy team in the Tri-Cities has shifted focus to helping people stay hydrated and out of the sun. Living outside in the summer brings the constant dangers of heat stroke, dehydration and more. Our team travels with water, snacks and ice packs to help folks cool off when they are unwell.
Our team meets these basic needs with compassion and care, taking care to listen, reach out and offer support to people facing the relentless challenges of homelessness. When we take time to get to know people and build relationships, they know who they can trust when they are ready to seek treatment, housing or medical care.
We saw this numerous times throughout the year. For example, our team was even called back in to connect with someone who relapsed after two years of sobriety and needed help returning to recovery. These connections run deep and we’re always there for folks to meet them where they are at.
Homeless Outreach
& Advocacy in the Tri-Cities
On the streets in the Tri-Cities
In the Tri-Cities, at least 160 people are experiencing homelessness. This is an 86% increase from before the Covid-19 Pandemic began in March 2020.
In Metro Vancouver, at least 4,821 people are experiencing homelessness. That’s 32% more people than before the Covid-19 Pandemic began in March 2020.
While the reasons for homelessness are varying and complex, 71% of individuals in the 2023 Vancouver Homeless Count indicated that they were living with an addiction.
Celine’s Story
We know that at least 160 people are homeless in the Tri-Cities, but thousands more, like Celine, live on the edge. She struggled month to month with the cost of bills and rent, living with the constant fear and uncertainty of losing her home.
Facing the very real possibility of becoming homeless, Celine reached out for help.
Our Outreach & Advocacy Team were able to set her up with a rental subsidy to help her get through a few crucial months while she sought a more permanent solution to her financial struggle.
During those months we connected her to other available community resources like low cost internet and other support that reduced her monthly expenses, making them more manageable for her long-term.
Celine lives in Port Moody. When we first met her last year, she was on the brink of being evicted.
“Hope for Freedom changed my finances by helping me with forms and connecting me with resources to make my life easier and more secure. I feel so blessed to have had them by my side. Thank you so much for all you have done in my life with this amazing organization! 🙏 🙌 💖”
Today, Celine feels comfortable and secure in her Port Moody home. She knows she’ll have enough to eat next month and pay the rent. This stability has provided a strong foundation for her to quit drinking, and she recently celebrated five months of sobriety. Congrats, Celine!
Reaching out with care and compassion
Our Outreach and Advocacy team provided practical help and compassionate support to 1,929 people last year.
Our team connected with 513 new folks in the Tri-cities who were previously unknown to Hope for Freedom.
We made 782 referrals to support services that provide meals, health care, housing and meet other critical needs.
Our team met people’s basic needs 8,373 times last year. This includes life-saving help in the form of food, water, first aid, Narcan, clothing and more.
Financial Summary
REVENUE
$1,544,589
EXPENSES
$1,589,920
The charts above are a summary of Hope for Freedom Society’s preliminary revenues and expenses for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, ending May 31, 2024. They have not yet been approved by independent auditors and the board of directors and are still subject to change. For access to the full financial statements when they are available please email executivedirector@hopeforfreedom.org.
Hope for Freedom relies heavily on the generosity of this community to keep our programs accessible to all.
How You Can Help
Donate Now
Your donation to Hope for Freedom Society will help men and women break from addiction to drugs and alcohol. With compassion, an open door and the love of Christ, we welcome people into a comprehensive, addiction recovery program that works. Be a part of this life-giving solution with a donation today.
Your donation helps cover the daily cost of caring for residents with dignity and compassion. This includes the costs of housing, food and offering a comprehensive, effective addiction recovery program that works.
Get your Church Involved
Churches in the Tri-Cities and beyond, led by a strong partnership with Coquitlam Alliance Church, have been supporting Hope for Freedom for more than two decades.
With financial support, gifts-in-kind, shared space, volunteer opportunities, prayers and more, churches in our network are doing the work of caring for vulnerable people. Inspired by the unconditional love of Christ, church partners know that people recovering from addiction are suffering and in need of a community of faith.
“I have a home, a community to count on, and a faith in Jesus that guides me and keeps me humble. I have renewed purpose in my life. Being able to help others brings me great joy. Today, I am a part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
— JANCO, HFFS GRADUATE