Every City Has a Hood and Every Hood Needs Hope.
Hope 4 Da Hood exists to serve and uplift urban communities by uniting hearts, homes, and hoods to ignite change.
Community
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Transformation
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Unity
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Families
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Health
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Education
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Careers
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Community • Transformation • Unity • Families • Health • Education • Careers •
Hope 4 Da Hood is on a mission to cultivate community transformation in the least likeliest of places. Where others see gangs, crime, prostitution, drugs, poverty, broken families, and hopelessness, H4DH sees something different. We see a future where every hood is a place for opportunity and growth. We believe any block, street, and home is ripe with possibility.
Started in 2009 by Beni Santibañez, Hope 4 Da Hood was established in Wichita, Kansas, with one purpose in mind: transformation. As a former gang leader who experienced his own radical transformation, Beni knew that change was not only possible, but probable when presented with hope and support. In its first year, H4DH saw over 250 people from the streets find freedom and a new beginning. The hood wasn’t broken, it was in the process of becoming beautiful. It became a place where every day was a chance at something new for anyone who was willing to see their lives, future, and community differently.
Over the years H4DH has found several community partners and advocates who champion meaningful and sustainable change. Our work today is not just about immediate results, but also about forging a path of enduring progress for generations to come. We’re just getting started in our movement to bring hope to every urban community across America and we would be honored for you to join us.
Our Story. Our Hood. Our Hope.
Our Journey of Impact
Heroes of Da Hood
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Peazy
I am grateful to share some hope. For most of my life I have been known by my gang name in youth centers, treatment centers, group homes, foster homes, jails, and finally prison for a total of 23 years altogether (13 at once, 5 here, 5 there). Walked the yard in many units and I had little relief for all those years. Most of the time I chose violence. Life of a Cholo, Mi Vida Loca. Got out on top of the Gangsta Mountain as the leader of a gang, calling shots in and out of the joint, but the crown was heavy and hollow at the same time. Pride was what caused that little kingdom to fall. I got hooked on meth and became a junkie. All the people I made fun of and all the things I said I would never do, I ended up doing. Within 7 years I was reduced to an animal, naked and afraid. Couldn't stop, I tried and tried, cried and cried out. Gave up on life. l even committed suicide on June 27th, 2019–and was brought back to life. I had given up on life and the pain of my existence, but God, rich in mercy, placed a family called Hope 4 Da Hood around me. They didn’t judge me, but walked with me. They helped me find a vision and purpose for my life and today I am proud to say I am free.