Hope House Foundation

In 1964, a group of parents in Hampton Roads came together to find an alternative to institutionalizing their adult children with developmental disabilities. The result was Hope House — Virginia's first group home.

By the Eighties, Hope House had 13 group homes throughout Hampton Roads. But by then, we had realized that the people we supported wanted something different.

They wanted more privacy. More choice. And more opportunity to be a part of the community — not segregated within a group defined by a shared disability. That's why today, we support adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities exclusively in their own homes or apartments.

Our individualized service approach allows us to support people with a range of disabilities, in the way that's best for them. So while some receive intensive support, others just need occasional help with cooking, budgeting, or learning a new bus route.


Over the years, our innovative, person-centered approach has garnered us a great deal of recognition. In 1995, our Executive Director, Lynne Seagle, received the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation's International Future Leader Award — an honor previously bestowed on Mother Teresa and B. F. Skinner.

In 2008, Hope House received the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) national award for full community inclusion. And in 2012, the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) gave Hope House its prestigious Community Builder Award.

But of all our accomplishments, the one that makes us proudest is helping the people we support lead meaningful lives of their own choosing.