The Hispanic Office for Planning and Evaluation (HOPE), a major human services organization at 165 Brookside Ave. Ext., declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy last month. That follows an abrupt closure of its offices in April.
“We did consider a number of options and strategies over many meetings before deciding that bankruptcy was our only alternative,” said James Jennings, HOPE’s vice president of the board, noting that he was not at liberty to discuss the bankruptcy.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy means that HOPE’s assets will be liquidated.
HOPE’s longtime executive director, José Durán, resigned in February. Other staff were laid off at the end of March.
“Cumulative cutbacks in funding for key programs, particularly by key federal and state agencies” were responsible for the shuttering of HOPE, stated a May press release following the office’s closure.
HOPE’s mission, since its founding in 1971, was to “improve the quality of life and to increase the number and range of opportunities for low-income and Latino individuals and families in Massachusetts,” according to its website. It was especially known for AIDS/HIV-related educational programs.