Hillsborough Organization for Progress & Equality

In Hillsborough County, we have HOPE for justice!

Since 1988, HOPE has brought together faith communities and groups to build power to address the root causes of poverty and injustice in Hillsborough County, FL. We are an interfaith, non-partisan nonprofit organization.

Unlike a direct-service organization, we do not work to fill the immediate needs of individuals; instead, HOPE is a direct action organization that holds community leaders accountable to solve the serious community problems impacting our families, friends, and neighbors.

HOPE is made up of nearly 30 member congregations which represent tens of thousands of members. While our congregations and their members differ in theology, racial and ethnic makeups, socio-economic backgrounds, and locations within the county, we are united by our commitment to respond to our faith call to do justice.

Next Steps You Can Take
View fullsize It was amazing to attend the ACTS Clubhouse open house. We learned that there are over 100 members, around 40 members just this past year have become employed, and countless members have gotten their GED. But numbers don’t tell the whole story
View fullsize HOPE Leaders attended a three-day training Orlando to join with others from across Florida to develop skills around power building and negotiation!
View fullsize 360 clergy and leaders gathered for HOPE’s 37th Annual Convention to celebrate justice and community! We welcomed two new congregations — Sacred Heart Catholic Church and First Presbyterian Church of Brandon — and celebrated progres
View fullsize Clergy and Leaders gathered on October 7th to get ready for our first big event of the HOPE year — our October 28th Convention where we will gather 400 leaders from across county! We shared with each other stories and concerns that surfaced fr
View fullsize On September 18th, County Commissioners approved $1.4 million of the remaining HOE Funds in the County’s 2026 budget. While this is a drop in the bucket for what it will take to seriously address the County’s affordable housing crisis, we
View fullsize Leaders at the first of two County budget hearings advocating to keep at least $2 million of the HOPE Funds in the Affordable Housing budget to go toward building and rehab of homes affordable for working families, seniors, veterans, and those with d
View fullsize Last week, clergy and leaders from our 29 member congregations came together to kick off our Listening Process. Over the next month, congregations will carry out over 70 listening meetings to reflect on our call to do justice, share and listen to how
View fullsize Join us in your purple shirt on September 4th and 18th at 6 pm at the County Center for the two final budget hearings to urge County Commissioners to keep $2 million of HOPE Affordable Housing Funds in the 2026 budget!