Melinda Opitz, 47, always looked forward to the start of the week. She would take her son, 12, to the Hope Center for Autism in Fort Worth . Opitz’s 10-year-old son was diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder
at age 10. The Bridge of Hope Academy and Hope Center, its subsidiary, provided him with applied behavior analysis and other services for two years. Opitz stated that he loved his time there.
Opitz got a shocking email on the night of the 24th March from Susan Wood, executive director at Hope Center. She informed him that they would have to close their doors due to financial issues. Opitz would have to quickly find a replacement clinic. She said, “We were shell-shocked.” The Hope Center for Autism filed 990 tax returns that revealed inconsistencies with its net income over the past few years. This was unknown to Opitz or other families. Barbara Clark-Galupi is the publisher of Dallas Fort Worth Nonprofit Business Journal (19459006). Susan Wood, Hope Center’s executive director, stated in a press release that they “deeply regret” the financial situation in which the organization found itself. The center was forced to close due to ongoing funding shortages. The decline of successful fundraising events, overall donations, and parents’ inability to pay tuition every year made it harder to stay on top.
“We regret the situation that we found ourselves, ongoing funding shortfalls, led to the closure,” Susan Wood, executive director at Hope Center, said in a statement. In that same year, the organization suffered a loss of $4,170. The organization’s net asset was negative $69,298 due to liabilities that exceeded its assets.
The organization had a $906,123 revenue in 2021. However, expenses of $1.067,203 led to a loss of $161,080. Wood wrote previously on Facebook, “We’ve worked hard and exhausted all resources to try to continue.” Clark-Galupi said that smaller nonprofits, like Hope Center, are also facing financial challenges due to the lack of funding and inflation. They may be experiencing shortages and low pay. She said that nonprofits are feeling the strain as rates have increased over the past few years. According to a National Council of Nonprofits survey,in 2023, budget restrictions and lack of funds will be cited by 66.3% of non-profits. This is due to the competition for donors and funding. According to a study by the National Council of Nonprofits seven out of ten nonprofits expect charitable donations will decrease or stay flat in 2023. Meanwhile, 68.7% of non-profits predict the number of donors will decrease or be flat. Clark-Galupi said that nonprofits in financial trouble should create strategies to boost their fundraising and community visibility.
Client, former employee search for answers.
Hope Center for Autism focuses on offering services to families with children who suffer from autism spectrum disorders or intellectual disabilities in its Fort Worth and Wichita Falls location. What is autism spectrum disorders? Autism spectrum disorder ( ) is a developmental and neurological disorder which affects the way people relate to others. The disorder also impacts on how people communicate, behave and learn. Autism can be detected at any age but it usually appears during the first two to three years of life. Autism can affect people in a variety of ways.
Applied behavior analysis is a therapy offered by the organization that focuses on social skills. This includes communication, academics and fine motor dexterity. It also focuses on hygiene, job competency, hygiene, and other aspects of life. The Bridge of Hope Academy at Hope Center, which closed in 19659021, was a division that offered classes for kindergarten through fourth grades. The Bridge of Hope Academy focused on academics and individual learning. Staff taught math, reading and science, along with art and social skills.
Michael Finn was suddenly out of a job, but her first concern was for her six clients. She knew that the children she was responsible for at Hope Center were dependent on ABA therapy. She said she began to refer families for free to other clinics. She said, “I have a moral obligation to these families to make sure they are not abandoned.” I wanted to ensure they received all assessments, treatment plans and other information about nearby centers. The goal is to make sure that they feel supported, even though this has happened.
There are other ABA treatment options available in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth clinics offering ABA include The Full Spectrum Child. Action Behavior Centers. Autism Treatment Center. Lighthouse Therapy Center of Fort Worth. ACES Fort Worth. Thrive Behavior Centers. Finn was notified by email the day before Opitz of the closure of Hope Center for Autism and told to not come in the following day. She said that Wood and Troy Hall (the operations manager of Hope Center) were not communicating effectively after the email had been sent. Finn said that at first, Susan was uncommunicative. Troy never replied to my message at the beginning. I was a bit skeptical at first. She said, “Therapy funded by insurance. We are very confused as to how this could have happened.”
Where does the money go if therapy costs more than we pay, and donations come in? We could have done in-home treatment to save money on property.
Opitz says it’s been hard to find another clinic that provides applied behavior analysis to her son in Fort Worth. She said that several clinics for which she applied with Finn’s help are on a waitlist until the end of May. She said, “This was really difficult for me.” It’s as if we are starting from scratch. We had no time to prepare.
Optiz’s son is also struggling with the closing. She said, “He is frustrated and sad because he loves these people.”
His structure suddenly disappeared. Opitz wishes Hope Center for Autism’s financial status had been made transparent to its clients. Opitz said, “I don’t know why the board did not give us a heads-up.”
Susan is a wonderful woman and Hope sounded like a great place. But I can’t believe they didn’t do that. If (Hope Center had) informed us that they were in desperate need, it would have been helpful. Clark-Galupi said, “I wish we had known more, because it would have been possible to save the operation in some way.”
Clark-Galupi added that nonprofit organizations must strive for transparency with clients, stakeholders and community members. She said that “authenticity and trust are the new currency.” It’s important that non-profits continue to gain and maintain the trust of their public. It’s often seen as a loss. Wood confirmed that the Hope Center for Autism would remain closed. David Moreno, the Fort Worth Report’s health reporter (19659040), is a member of the Wood family. Texas Health Resources has funded his position. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports on X. The Fort Worth Report makes news decisions independently from its board and donors. Learn more about the editorial independence of our newspaper