Hannah's Hope was born out of the rich tradition of Holston Home for Children, which served the West Tennessee area as a child-placing agency from 1985 until 2002. Based in Greenville, Tennessee, and affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. Holston Home for Children has been in operation since 1895, providing assistance to children and families through adoptive services, foster care, parenting, crisis pregnancy and adoption counseling.

In order to better attend to the needs of their local area, Holston made the corporate decision in 2002, to close several of their offices outside the bounds of their Conference, with the West Tennessee office being one of these. The Memphis Conference then made the decision to continue with this needed ministry to children and families with the creation of a new and separate agency in 2003, called Hannah's Hope.

This progressive agency, as a matter of both policy and principle, promotes each person's ability to develop to their maximum capacity. Hannah's Hope honors the individual's right to acceptance, love and membership in a family. Services and programs offered by Hannah's Hope will be inclusive of all persons without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, religion or age and will not promote any particular religious dogma.

As an agency of the Memphis Conference of the United Methodist Church, Hannah's, Hope is funded, in part, by the budget of Outreach Ministries of the Conference. Office space is provided, in-kind, by St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Memphis. Other operational expenses are covered by the generosity of individuals, groups, and congregations who join in the mission of the agency to promote permanency for children.