About | HospHouse NWNC

About Us

This is not a place where you come to get a hand-out. It’s a place where you come to get a hand-up.”

– Joe, former resident.

Hospitality House enables the transition from crisis to stability, from poverty to sustainability, and from homelessness to housing.

At Hospitality House we offer much more than bed and bread. We are a place where self-worth is reclaimed, passion is rediscovered, and souls are redeemed.

Approximately 80% of homeless individuals only experience homelessness once. The services we provide, with the support of partnering agencies, help ensure that those who leave Hospitality House will have the resources to be self-sufficient.

Our Mission

The mission of Hospitality House is to rebuild lives and strengthen community by providing a safe, nurturing, healthy environment in which individuals and families experiencing homelessness and poverty-related crises are equipped to become self-sufficient and productive.

Our Vision

A community where every individual and family thrives.

Our Values

Compassion for all.
Respect for every individual's path, situation, and place in life.
Dignity in action and example.
Integrity of intent and behavior.
Sustainability of life, community, and environment.
Ownership of the mission.
Initiative to be innovative, creative leaders in the community.

“I sleep with my mom in a family room. I like it here because we have a refrigerator. If this place wasn’t here I would be separated from my mom.”

– Gauge, 10 years old

“I received help from Hospitality House back in 1991 and I just wanted to say thanks for the help. I went on to educate myself and became a successful software engineer. Keep up the good work!”

– Steve Edwards, former resident

Hospitality House, a regional nonprofit homeless services agency, works in seven rural North Carolina counties (Watauga, Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Mitchell, Yancey) providing housing, shelter, hunger relief, homeless prevention, street outreach, counseling and crisis assistance.

According to the 2013 US Census American Community Survey, since 2010:

The poverty rate

in Watauga County has increased from 24.8% to 32.1%
in Avery County has hardly decreased from 18.1% to 18%
in Wilkes County has increased from 19.2% to 22.7%
in Ashe County has increased from 17.8% to 21.1%
in Alleghany County has decreased from 26.2% to 19.8%
in Mitchell County has increased from 16.8% to 18.3%
in Yancey County has increased from 18.1% to 20.1%
in North Carolina has increased from 15.5% to 17.5%

The unemployment rate

in Watauga County has increased from 7.8% to 10.2%
in Avery County has increased from 6.9% to 9.1%
in Wilkes County has increased from 10.1% to 14.9%
in Ashe County has increased from 9.8% to 10.6%
in Alleghany County has increased from 8.1% to 11.9%
in Mitchell County has increased from 9.7% to 11%
in Yancey County has increased from 6% to 10.6%
in North Carolina has increased from 8.8% to 11.1%

The percentage of households receiving food and nutritional services

in Watauga County has increased from 4.8% to 8.6%
in Avery County has increased from 13% to 17.1%
in Wilkes County has increased from 12.5% to 18.6%
in Ashe County has increased from 11% to 14.9%
in Alleghany County has increased from 11.5% to 15.9%
in Mitchell County has increased from 12.7% to 13.5%
in Yancey County has decreased from 17.1% to 16.7%
in North Carolina has increased from 10.3% to 13.8%