How HopeHub Transformed A Community: "It's the Secret Sauce"

What started 14 years ago as a small group of people trying to help their homeless neighbors in Pope County, Arkansas has grown into a robust, collaborative community network — a partnership between city leaders, law enforcement, churches, nonprofits, and service providers. Local officials say this partnership is changing the lives of residents on a fundamental level.

Russellville Mayor Fred Teague, Police Chief David Ewing, and Journey Church Lead Pastor Steve Bullard spoke to out-of-state guests from Casey Family Programs about the transformation. They said it has been years in the making and that the 100 Families Initiative and HopeHub technology have become the “secret sauce” that helped it all come together. 

Mayor Teague reflected on how far the city has come since those early days. “I've been in the nonprofit world for 14 years,” Teague said. "It's never happened in this community, before HopeHub came, that we had so many different community organizations that are part of people's journey to success. That's never happened."

That collaboration now includes faith-based partners like Journey Church, community organizations like Russ Bus and One Roof, and dozens of agencies who meet regularly to coordinate support for families in crisis.

Pastor Steve Bullard said before HopeHub came to the community, his church measured success through attendance and donations. He said one of the most exciting shifts has been the ability to measure real transformation beyond those two factors. Bullard said HopeHub allows the community to measure success based on concrete changes being made, including whether a family has obtained housing, has adequate food, and has maintained employment. “Now we can point to families who are still together, people who’ve been working steady jobs for two years, kids who have food, transportation, and stability,” he said. “That’s something we can measure."

Police Chief David Ewing said the initiative has also changed the way his officers approach community policing. “We used to be the Yellow Pages for everything,” Ewing said. “People would call us at two in the morning needing food, housing, or mental health help — and we didn’t always know who to call.”

With 100 Families and HopeHub, he explained, officers can now connect people directly to coordinated support instead of trying to solve complex social issues alone. “It lets us get back to what we’re supposed to be doing while knowing people are still getting help,” Ewing said.

The HopeHub system, developed by Restore Hope, allows service providers, law enforcement, schools, and churches to coordinate care in real time. “HopeHub gives us one central place where everyone can see what’s happening,” Teague explained. “If DCFS is already helping a family, another agency doesn’t have to duplicate that work. We can focus our efforts where they’re really needed.”

Jeff Piker, Community Success Manager for the 100 Families Initiative, shared that more than 100 local organizations are now connected through HopeHub. He demonstrated how HopeHub dashboards track each participant’s progress across key social determinants of health — including childcare, dental and physical health, education, employment, financial and food stability, housing, legal issues, mental health, recovery, safety, and transportation.

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