At the Feb. 25 Troy City Council Meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a contract for services with the House of Hope and Restoration of Brundidge. 

The House of Hope is a sanctuary for women in crisis in Pike County. 

“The House of Hope and Restoration is a crisis center for women,” House of Hope Board Member Krissy Pinckard said. “The House of Hope and Restoration is for homeless women, many women that have suffered from drug addiction, women that maybe have suffered some form of domestic violence or are court ordered there as a re-entry program from prison or jail.” 

The House of Hope typically houses up to 16 women for up to 18 months.

“We help women with budgeting, they learn to save money, and they go to bible study,” Pinckard said. “They attend church together and they try really hard to help the community as far as volunteering.”

Pinckard told the council that they had to turn away 14 women over a nine day span this month due to having no space.

“We have a really hard time turning people down,” she emphasized. “These are women that need help, that are asking us for help.”

The council originally came to the meeting with a proposal to enter into a one-year contract for services agreement with the House of Hope for $15,000, but amended the resolution to a contract in the amount of $25,000. 

Councilwoman Stephanie Baker made the motion to amend the amount of the contract and Councilwoman Wanda Moultry seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved. 

“One out of three families has suffered from some type of either addiction or a family member that has gone off the deep end and is homeless,” Pinckard told the council. “That’s hard and that is right here in our community. Before I was a member of the board, I had no idea we had so many homeless people or women in crisis. That is really frightening because it can happen to anybody.”

The House of Hope and Restoration is located at 305 Main Street in Brundidge and can be reached via Email, at houseofhopeandrestoration@gmail.com or by phone, at (334) 536-0611 and (334) 672-3900. 

In other business, the council unanimously approved the purchase of a groundskeeper four-wheel drive Chevrolet Silverado in the amount of $48,254.54. The council also approved the purchase of two Ford F-450 trucks for Environmental Services in the amount of $60,010 each from Stivers of Troy. Both of these purchases go to the low bidder and are budgeted items. 

The council also approved the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado from David-Scott-Lee of Troy in the amount of $48,254. This purchase will be made using money received from an Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) Grant. 

Additionally, the council approved a resolution for Environmental Services to apply for an ADEM Recycling Grant in the amount of $445,813 for the purchase of secure document carts, 10 closed top trailers, 10 open top trailers, 200 23-gallon containers with lids and a rear-loading recycling truck. 

Troy Environmental Services Director Shelby Tuck told the council that the City of Troy has received some form of this grant in four of the last five years, including a $104,070 grant last year. Councilwoman Baker abstained from this vote due to her being aligned with the recycling grant. 

The board approved a three-year Engineering Service Agreement with CDG of Andalusia and approved the purchase of a Fire Marshall truck in the amount of $56,560.80 from David-Scott-Lee of Troy. 

The board also approved the purchase of a bariatric ambulance for the Troy Fire Department in the amount of $433,172.42, this includes an additional $10,000 for a diesel engine. The majority of the cost will come from a FEMA Grant the fire department received. This grant will cover $345,454.54 with the city match being $87,672.88.

A bariatric ambulance is an ambulance with the equipment to carry larger patients, up to 1,250 pounds and would be used throughout the county. Fire Chief Michael Stephens told the council he believed that Troy would be the first city in Alabama to operate a bariatric ambulance and that it would be able to be put into service for non-bariatric patients, as well. 

Stephens acknowledged Deputy Fire Chief Curtiss Shaver, Battalion Chief Josh Hamm, Battalion Chief Daniel Hussey and Battalion Chief Clay McDougald as being instrumental in the fire department receiving the grant, as they wrote and submitted the grant in-house rather than using a grant writer.

“All four worked really hard to get this done,” Stephens said. “They did a really good job on this with a limited amount of time to get it done.” 

Finally, the council approved the purchase of new battery powered extrication equipment, also know as the Jaws of Life. The city will get $1,200 back in trade-in on old equipment and the cost to the city will be $47,156 for the new equipment. 

The council’s next meeting will be on March 11 at 5 p.m. in the Troy City Council Chambers. There will also be a public work session upstairs at Troy City Hall at 4 p.m.