One Hope United

One Hope United (OHU) is an American non-profit organization established in 1895 that provides education, foster care, adoption, and other support services to children and families in the U.S. states of Florida, and Illinois. The organization is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. According to the organization, it serves over 10,000 children and families annually. It is reported to have previously also operated in Wisconsin, but the organization's website no longer reports any operations in the state.

History
The organization was founded on October 8, 1895, in Downers Grove, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) under the name “Chicago Baptist Orphanage”. The organization opened an orphanage for children on Washington Street in Downers Grove. By 1913, the organization was operating four orphanages in Illinois (Downers Grove, Berwyn, Chicago, and Maywood).

During the 1940s, Ermit L. Finch arrived at the organization's Lake Villa campus after his parents died. Finch became the first person that was previously a resident to become a board member of the organization. In 2019, the organization renamed its Lake Villa campus the “Ermit L. Finch Campus” in honor of Finch.

Prior to adopting the name “One Hope United”, the organization also operated under the names, “Central Baptist Children’s Home” and “Kids Hope United”. The current name was adopted in 2010.

In January 2019, Dr. Charles A. Montorio-Archer was named President and CEO and was the first openly gay person and the first black person to lead the organization. Prior to Montorio-Archer's role at OHU, he was the co-founder of the New York non-profit organization, The THRIVE Network (now merged with The New York Foundling). He led the organization until August 2023. In May 2024, Dr. Damon Cates who had been serving as interim President and CEO since September 2023, was appointed to the position by OHU's Board of Directors. Prior to Cates' current role, he was the organization's Chief Advancement Officer.

In response to COVID-19, many of the organization's classrooms were closed and two educational centers closed permanently.