Please do not let these negative reviews deter you from applying at AOH. I lived at arms of hope from March 2010-January 2015 and from October 2017-June 2018 and am still in contact with multiple staff, both present and former. While living at arms of hope- I was able to attend college in San Antonio and receive my degrees in criminal justice. Yes, there are rules. Yes you must attend church. Yes you work on campus (not permanently). All of the rules are gone over prior to moving in- nothing is sprung on you. Church is involved because it is a Christian based program. Working on campus- the work stations are not hard or physical work- but think of it as a way to help out since you are getting a free home to live in, free child care, transportation if you don’t have a vehicle, clothes, gifts for you and your children and the biggest plus is getting your life together to be self sufficient and better off than you were when you entered the program. The only people who do not make it through this program are those who can’t give up the issues that cause them to need assistance in the first place (drugs, abusive spouses, alcohol, etc). It is a great program that is run by people who truly have a love for those they serve.

I went to arms of hope single mothers program years ago to get on my feet and to gain education and life experience. The moms and myself around that time worked and wanted very hard to succeed with our children. My case worker was Ashley she did have education at that not in case management I think a degree in nursing . I stayed to myself because a lot was going on there we were forced to go to church which is amazing however the pastor said women that have children out of wet lock we don’t want you here . I wondered why we went to a Chruch we were unwanted but if that’s what we had to do I would take notes . The Program had amazing benefits and we never went hungry and we went out of town if we put in request some of the women there went out the way to discourage other single mothers to fail . They had it where other moms babysat while you did anything you needed done however some moms had drug problems just like anyone wouldn’t be comfortable letting a stranger or someone that openly expressed drug problems watch your children it was forced my case worker seen it as a power trip not that I was concerned. If case workers didn’t like you they would design it where they called cps and try to have your children removed from you and many volunteers there were wanting to adopt it was mysterious. But overall I will say I met amazing strong women and learned a lot I have a career house yard and I would strongly recommend this place if you need the help stay strong and to yourself but there are women that can be a helping hand.

Hi everyone! After reading these reviews, I feel the need to shine some light on how Arms of Hope really works, and how there is ample opportunity to change the course of one's life. I moved into Arms of Hope in 2014. I was 6 months pregnant and living in a battered women's shelter when I decided to reach out to Arms of Hope. I had no life experience on how to be a mother. I had two children at a very young age, ultimately, because of my drug addiction, my children were raised by other people. I continued to dive deeper into drugs, a world that was surrounded by darkness. I am choosing to not go into detail about how bad my life was. After filling out and submitting the application for The Together Program, which is a program for single mom families, I was accepted! Ashley Nelson was my case manager for 4 years. She pushed and challenged me to achieve personal goals that I set in place for myself. You see, there are these things called Plan of Service. Each mom in the program works with their case manager to set up short & long term goals. Ashley Nelson knows what it is like to live at Arms of Hope, she was in the program for several years too! To say that she sets things up to have CPS called is absurd! Ashley is passionate about helping mom's help their selves. And that's just it! You have to be willing to do the foot work! Yes, Church is a requirement, it is made very clear during the interview process that Church is a non-nonnegotiable. Today I have 6 years clean, was able to attain my GED, my daughter lives with me after 15 years of thinking I let her go for adoption. Jesus is the Lord of my life. I have been successfully and happily married to my husband for almost a year now. Arms of Hope helped me become the person I am today.

Can't support a racist program who steals money meant for the children staying there. Disgrace to the word christian.

Arms of Hope is a wonderful program for mothers to get on their feet and gain the foundation to give a successful life to their children. The staff here are kind and caring. Unlike that which was stated by a previous reviewer, no one here is racist. That type of behavior would not be tolerated here at all.