Tragedy Hits Bend Ministry That Offers Help

Along O.B. Riley Road in northwest Bend sits one of several homes owned by House of Hope Ministries. On Monday night, a tragedy happened there, but the organizations founders say it only underscores the need for what they do.

Police recovered a body of a white male in his 20s. The cause of death remains under investigation, and police have not released his name.

“We miss him terribly,” Darlene Woods, owner of House of Hope Ministries, said Tuesday. “We were so excited to work with him, but it just makes me realize how precious each day is.”

Woods and her husband Chuck run House of Hope Ministries, a commitment they made to help those who need it

“We know that we work with sometimes special needs, and we can be in a crisis in a minute, but all we can do is our best,” Woods said.

Monday night’s news came as a shock for Woods, whose ministry has helped more than 900 people in just over a decade.

“We go on, we learn from it,” Woods said. “I don’t know what anybody could have done more for this young man. Everybody was on his side, trying to help him.”

The man who died had been living at the home for just three weeks. Woods says her seven homes are where most find their safe haven.

Woods rents out the houses, and residents can stay as long they need to recover.

“We don’t pretend that we are psychiatrists, but we know if you are in a safe environment and you share things, pretty soon you start healing yourself,” Woods said.

The goal of the ministry: helping people be the best they can be, something they were trying to reach for the victim on Monday night.

“This just proves to me all the more how much it’s needed that we continue to help those who need help,” Woods said.

House of Hope Ministries does need help for a variety of their services.

Right now, the ministry is only run by Woods and her husband. House of Hope Ministries relies solely on contributions and those paying affordable fees in the homes.

To help them, they can use mentors, volunteers for their teen program and women to visit the other women in the housing.

They can use volunteers also at their thrift store called The Lavender on 724 SW 14th Street in Redmond.

If you would like to learn more about the good things the ministry does, you can visit their website at http://www.houseofhope-bend.org/.