Hope Network in Grand Rapids expects to hire 10 new workers to staff two new foster homes

Sharon Hanks

Grand Rapids-based Hope Network continues to expand to accommodate individuals with disabilities and disadvantages. The non-profit Christian organization is looking to hire 10 full-time employees and 36 part-time on-call workers to staff two new residential foster care homes opening in June.

Hope Network recruiting manager Kristen Ackerman says a two-bedroom foster care home on Ivanrest Avenue near 54th Street SW will be remodeled to accommodate two developmentally disabled adults needing round-the-clock care. She's looking to hire six full-time employees plus 20 part-time workers who would be available for on-call work. Six residents living there now will be moved to openings available at other local Hope Network homes, she says.

In Lowell, Hope Network's West Lake campus will open a sixth home to accommodate six more residents with disabilities. Ackerman is looking to hire about four full-time employees and 16 on-call part-time workers to staff the 6-bed foster care home. West Lake's cluster of homes currently houses 35 residents in a rural setting.

Applicants are encouraged to check Hope Network's website for details.

With headquarters at 3075 Orchard Vista Dr. SE, Hope Network provides services in more than 180 locations in Michigan. Since its founding in 1963, Hope Network's goal has been to empower people with disabilities or disadvantages so they can achieve their highest level of independence. Specialized care is available for those with brain and spinal cord injuries, mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders and other disadvantages.

Ackerman says that in the past 1 ½ years, Hope Network has hired about 200 new employees through mergers, acquisitions and new programs, bringing its total employment to 2,300.

Source: Kristen Ackerman, Hope Network recruiting manager, Grand Rapids; Craig Clark of Clark Communications, Grand Rapids

Sharon Hanks is innovations and jobs news editor at Rapid Growth Media. Please send story ideas and comments for the column to Sharon at [email protected]. She also is owner of The Write Words in Grand Rapids.