The House of Hope drug addiction ministry in Wildwood will be forced to move within the next six months due to the southward expansion of The Villages.
The House of Hope complex is currently located on a largely rural 28-acre complex south of State Road 44 and north of the Florida Turnpike.
The House of Hope Board of Directors last year voted to begin looking at properties in Wildwood, in anticipation of of The Villages’ push south. House of Hope had expected to have 18 to 24 months to transition to a new home.
In a letter sent Monday to House of Hope supporters, it was announced that the campus must be vacated within six months. The letter asks for “prayers and support.”
Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages announced to its membership this weekend the decision to sell the property on which House of Hope is currently located. Hope Lutheran Church, which is a separate entity from House of Hope, has been the landlord for House of Hope for the past five years.
House of Hope offers a Bible-based ministry aimed at helping those suffering from addiction. More than 200 men have entered the residential program and more than 60 percent have returned to their families with changed lives.
Villager Gene Barton, who has long been active in House of Hope, said 18 men are currently in the residential program.
House of Hope has enjoyed tremendous community support. Wildwood officials joined in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2017 at the renovated campus. Congressman Rich Nugent paid a visit in 2014 to House of Hope.
Barton said information about supporting House of Hope is available at http://houseofhopefl.org/hoh-support/
