Welcome! We are so glad that you have joined Link2HOPE.  You may be going through some hard times and maybe feeling like you’re doing it alone.  We encourage you to invite some you know and trust to be your advocate. What, exactly, do we mean by an “advocate” in this context? 

Within the Link2HOPE platform, an advocate is a person connected to an individual or family in need who provides support for that family in various ways. Advocates answer questions in the platform about the family that will suggest service providers and resources that may be helpful for the family’s situation. Advocates may also search within the platform for services and resources that might be helpful, and may contact service providers directly on behalf of the family. Don’t forget, though, that you, as a family user, will also receive service provider recommendations and resource articles, and may also search within the platform for them. Before looking on your behalf, the advocate should give you the opportunity to advocate for yourself first! 

We encourage you to use the platform as a tool and not as your only means of connection with the advocate! Spend time together, get to know one another better, and build a true friendship. We also offer to provide the advocate with resources to help him or her learn and grow in skills as a mentor, advocate, and friend.  

Please note that we do not encourage advocates to do everything for the family. You, the family user, has the responsibility, when able, to access the services on your own. For example, many food pantries will not allow you to pick up food for someone else. Instead, your advocate may find creative ways to assist you, like helping arrange a ride or childcare so that you can access those services yourself.

An advocate is a person connected to an individual or family in need who provides support in various ways.