Ada County, Faces of Hope Foundation clashed over identical names. Now this is happening
A sudden end to the longstanding partnership between Ada County and the Faces of Hope Foundation resulted in nonprofit’s eviction from a county building downtown. Now the foundation wants victims to know: “We are still around.”
The Faces of Hope Foundation said it will open an office Thursday in Meridian, where it will offer counseling, case management and legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking, and stalking
It’s the latest step in the foundation’s effort to provide its services after a falling out with Ada County officials over the foundation’s operations in the county victim center ’s similarly named FACES of Hope Victim Center at 416 S. 6th St. FACES stands for Family Advocacy Center and Education Services.
Meanwhile, the county is moving on from the foundation, which the county itself created when it opened the victim center 17 years ago. County officials announced Jan. 10 that the Women’s and Children’s Alliance would replace the Faces of Hope Foundation in the victim center. And on Tuesday, the county announced that it has changed the name of the center from FACES of Hope Victim Center to the Ada County Victim Services Center.
The name change is intended to eliminate confusion caused by the similarity of the foundation’s and center’s names.
It comes after the county commissioners ended the lease agreement with the Faces of Hope Foundation after the foundation returned the county’s draft of a lease renewal with excessive changes, the county said. The county also said the foundation put its own interests ahead of those of its partners in the building.
“Since 2006, the partners co-located at the center, 417 S. 6th St., have provided necessary services to victims and survivors of interpersonal violence in their times of need,” said Ada County Prosecutor Jan Bennetts in the Tuesday news release. “It is such a privilege to join the numerous agencies and service providers to announce our continued partnership at the newly named Ada County Victim Services Center. The building may have a new name, but the address, the phone number and the partners’ commitment to victims in our community are the same as they always have been.”
Organizations that serve victims receive free rent in the center’s building in exchange for providing services at no charge. The foundation was among organizations receiving free rent.
Eight partner organizations had called upon the foundation to change its name to end persistent confusion among victims and others over the building’s name and the foundation’s role. The foundation declined, so the county decided to change the center’s name instead.
Paige Dinger, executive director of the Faces foundation, on Friday was beginning the move to the Meridian office at 1850 S. Eagle Road, Suite 100.
“We found a really great location, but we just had to make a few changes, and so that will all be finished by Wednesday,” Dinger said.
The foundation has long hoped to expand its services to victims in western Ada County, Dinger said.
How Faces foundation differs from FACES building
The Ada County Victim Services Center is designed to be a one-stop shop for people who have experienced abuse. The Faces of Hope Foundation has been one of 16 organizations providing help there.
The Victim Center’s public and private community organizations include St. Luke’s and its CARES program, Saint Alphonsus, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office and Prosecutor’s Office, the Meridian, Boise and Garden City police departments, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Boise State University, University of Idaho, Idaho Adult Protective Services, Idaho Assistance League, Charitable Assistance to the Community’s Homeless (CATCH), and the Idaho Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers.
The Faces of Hope Foundation is a nonprofit that offers victims six to eight weeks of counseling, legal support and attorney advice from independent lawyers, Dinger said. The foundation also provides funding and resources like food, gas and a safe place to sleep for victims who need them, she said.
The Meridian office will also house Hope’s Closet, which provides clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories for victims; and a diaper bank for families in need. The office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A blue light phone outside the office will allow victims to reach emergency services after hours, the foundation said in a news release.
“Faces of Hope provides wrap-around support services to meet the legal, emotional health, safety, education, and basic needs of victims of abuse, and their families, in a warm and welcoming environment,” the foundation said. “This support is provided at no cost to the victim.”
The Faces of Hope Foundation launched in 2006, when the Victim Center opened, to provide funding for gas cards, food and shelter. In 2018, the foundation introduced a counseling program and began working with the University of Idaho Family Justice Clinic to provide legal services to victims, according to the news release.
In 2023, the foundation raised nearly $813,000 from grants, contributions from fundraising and special events, according to its annual report. The organization spent most of its money on client services, the report said. The foundation spent 16% of its budget on administrative services, including its 14 employees who work with clients.
“We are pleased that Faces of Hope Meridian will provide the supporting services to the residents of Ada County to help ensure the ongoing safety of abuse victims as they work through trauma,” Meridian Mayor Robert Simison said in the release.
Faces foundation resists name change
The county commissioners were also concerned after eight of the organizations in the Victim Center sent a letter Nov. 7 to the foundation board asking it to reconsider using the name Faces of Hope.
Calling the foundation’s new building in Meridian the same name as the downtown building, which offers more services than the foundation’s Meridian office would, “will create confusion, potential delay of services and additional trauma for victims in times of crisis,” the letter said.
“If this name is used at the new location, individuals in crisis will go there expecting medical care, forensic exams, law enforcement officers, victim-witness coordinators and 24/7 security in addition to the services provided by the Faces of Hope Foundation,” the letter said.
Dinger opposed changing the foundation’s name.
“We have worked hard to bring awareness to our name and our brand recognition, but ultimately our biggest concern is the people we serve,” she said.
In announcing the victim center’s new name, the county said the foundation “recently decided to pursue other opportunities.” The announcement added: “The departure of this one group has not in any way paused or affected any of the services provided at the facility.”
Dinger said the foundation’s Meridian staff would refer any victim needing forensic exams or medical attention to the Victim Center.
The foundation hopes to open a new office in Boise but has not yet finalized a contract, Dinger said.
Women’s and Children’s Alliance to replace foundation
In an emailed statement, Elizabeth Duncan, Ada County spokesperson, told the Statesman that the addition of the Women’s and Children’s Alliance is “wonderful news.”
“The WCA is, and has been, an invaluable community service to so many,” Duncan said. “The WCA will be joining the other partners who provide wrap around services for those who have experienced interpersonal violence.”
The alliance is located in downtown Boise at 720 W. Washington St. It will continue to operate there.
This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 2:38 PM.
