Karen Carman and Joyelle Tedeschi had an idea for one-stop shopping to help the homeless and low-income families get back on their feet.

They envisioned a comprehensive venue that provides programs and services that put people on the road to self-sufficiency.

Their idea became reality Tuesday with the official opening of the Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive, across from the Central Terminal. Services include evening meals; a food pantry; free income tax preparation; financial education, workshops and mentoring; banking and credit counseling; weatherization programs; and access to community computers.

“The plan is to move people from being dependent on the system to being self-sufficient,” said Marlies A. Wesolowski, executive director of the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center, which runs the new facility.

“It helps out a lot of people,” said 34-year-old Ben Terry, who was recently homeless until staff at the center helped him find housing. “They help me with food sometimes. They help me out with clothing vouchers, and by next month, I’ll be doing computer classes to try to find a job.”

Grants from the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and the City of Buffalo, as well as federal economic- stimulus money make the center possible. Most recently, a $335,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation allowed organizers to remodel the first floor.

One of the goals is for volunteers and staff to assist clients in getting any benefits, pensions or retirement money to which they may be entitled from agencies such as the Department of Social Services or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Another goal is to find decent housing through a homeless outreach program that started almost a year ago and has housed 70 people and secured $500,000 in benefits for them, Tedeschi said.

“We also helped some get employment,” said Tedeschi, the coordinator of homeless services who, along with Carman, joined the Urban Center staff in November 2008.

The center’s first workshop will focus on affordable housing and will be held from 2 to 4 p. m. Oct.

20. Soon, organizers hope to open a soup kitchen in conjunction with Friends of Night People for a hot meal pilot program one day a week for 12 weeks. Friends of Night People would cook and deliver the food.

The whole point is to provide a comprehensive facility.

“Parents can come in and do paperwork, work on resumes and on the computer. The kids can go upstairs for youth activities. When parents are done, they collect the kids and have dinner,” Wesolowski said. “We teach them skills they need to be self-sufficient and no longer dependent on handouts.”

Donations of round tables and chairs for the Urban Diner are needed, as well as volunteers to help create a mural inside the building.

For information, call 893-7222.