March 2024 Special Needs Living Magazine

Question & Answer Session with Paul Herrera CEO at Hope Homes Foundation

Education, Education, Education…I learn something new every day.

Q. Where do you work currently?

A. Hope Homes Foundation Inc.

Q. What is your job title here?

A. CEO Chief Executive Officer

Q. How long have you been employed with your current job?

A. 6 ½ years

Q. How long have you been employed in this industry?

A. 47 years serving persons and families with developmental disabilities.

Q, What were your previous jobs in the industry?

A. Stark DD – Adult Service Director; Goodwill Industries – Director of Vocational Services; RCI Inc. (Albuquerque, New Mexico) -CEO

Q. What is your educational background:

A. Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Administration

Q. What do your day-to-day job responsibilities include?

A. I am responsible for the administration and all facets of operations and development activities of Hope Homes Foundation, Inc., its homes, and properties, ensuring they are safe, well maintained, and appropriate for persons with DD and special needs.

Q. What is the inspiration behind why you work in this field?

A. A belief that people with developmental disabilities and special needs, like all Americans, have a right to live in their own homes, in the community. They should control where and with whom they live, including having opportunities to rent or buy their own homes, and must have the freedom to choose their daily routines and activities. I believe that those with DD and special needs today face a housing crisis with many contributing factors, such as a serious lack of safe, affordable, accessible, and integrated housing, and significant housingrelated discrimination. I would in some small way impact the community to meet that need one home at a time to ensure that quality homes can build a quality life for all.

Q. What part of your job are you most passionate about?

A. Seeing individuals move into their new homes for the first time and setting up their belongings to make it theirs. I want to be part of a team that assures that each home is well maintained, ADA accessible, and provides a quality home for quality life.

Q. What is your favorite success story you have seen?

A. Building the first Smart Home in Northeast Ohio which provides residents with smart devices and appliances to support more independence and interaction with their environment. Specifically, to see a resident enter his home and be greeted by an interactive device telling him “Welcome Home, Jason” and offering him options for activities and providing him learning tools to cook, do laundry, or just enjoy his surroundings.

Q. What is something you would change in your field for the better if you could?

A. Increase affordable housing funding to ensure choice of residency for individuals to choose where they live and for accommodations to assure for a successful life that meets their needs.

Q, What advice would you give to parents in your field to help navigate?

A. Partner and advocate with your local housing agencies to make your needs known and learn about the housing programs in their community that help with subsidies to pay rent and provide support 24/7. They do not have to do this alone but rather as a group of parents coming together for the purpose of finding and developing affordable housing.

Q, What has been the biggest factor in your career success?

A. Education, Education, Education…I learn something new every day.

Q. What is your favorite non-profit organization or volunteer opportunity?

A, Hope Homes Foundation Inc. with a 60-year history and a focused mission they meet continues to strive to meet their mission of Providing affordable, accessible, and safe housing to persons with developmental disabilities and special needs.