Hope Vibes was founded as a 501c3 organization in 2016 by the husband-and-wife team of Emmanuel and Adrienne Threatt with the goal of bringing awareness, hope and real solutions to the homeless epidemic in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region.

The seeds of Hope Vibes were planted on the couple’s very first date more than a decade ago. Walking though uptown Charlotte and seeing individuals sleeping on the ground, the couple was moved emotionally and vowed then to “do more for our homeless neighbors.” It was an idea that took root that evening and would eventually blossom years later as Hope Vibes.

When it was first established, the Threatts sought to provide dignity to homeless neighbors through access to personal hygiene products and services. The couple came across a video about women dealing with their menstrual cycle while living on the streets with no access to feminine hygiene products, and the story struck a nerve. It is a part of the experience of being homeless that had never crossed the founders’ minds, and galvanized them to do something about it.

Informal days of service, bringing donated hygiene items to areas where individuals tended to gather, soon gave way to more a formal approach to street outreach. What started as a few volunteers gathering together occasionally grew into a movement of passionate advocates meeting the second Saturday of each month for Serve Days. In the years since, hundreds of Charlotte residents have participated in Serve Days.

By 2018, the organization was distributing 1,500 hygiene packs, 10,000 feminine hygiene products, 200 winter items and 80 tents, tarps and blankets to homeless neighbors in need. Hope Vibes has always had direct service to homeless neighbors in need as the base of the organization’s work. Meeting needs head-on is at the heart of the organization’s work, with an aim to “stop talking about helping and instead roll up sleeves and get to work.” It is also how the organization builds trust with the homeless neighbors they wish to serve.

A long-held goal for the organization was the development of a mobile shower and laundry center aimed at providing dignity for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Dubbed the Hope Tank, the organization spent nearly two years raising the funds to make the concept a reality, along the way testing