Via Hope
ViaHope was a Texas-based nonprofit that trained and certified Peer Specialists, Certified Family Partners, and Re-entry Peer Specialists in mental health from 2009 until ceasing training programs in August 2025, serving Texas mental health authorities, state hospitals, TDCJ, libraries, and community organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Via Hope does
ViaHope was a Texas-based nonprofit mental health training and certification organization founded in 2009 and operated exclusively within the state. It delivered training programs via Zoom and administered content through Litmos as its learning management system, issuing certifications and continuing education units (CEUs) to individuals pursuing careers as peer specialists in mental health settings. The organization served a dual customer base: individual learners seeking credentials (Mental Health Peer Specialist, Recovery Peer Specialist, and Peer Support Specialist certifications, plus Certified Family Partner and Re-entry Peer Specialist tracks) and institutional partners including Texas mental health authorities, state hospitals, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), libraries, and community organizations.
ViaHope's core portfolio comprised three coordinated programs: Peer Specialist Certification (Texas's first statewide certification program for Mental Health Peer Specialists), the Recovery Institute (which drove organizational transformation across 30 mental health authorities and 8 state hospitals), and Innovation In Practice (which implemented SAMHSA-recognized Consumer Operated Service Programs). Over its operating life, the organization trained 2,168 Peer Specialists, 270 Certified Family Partners, 225 Re-entry Peer Specialists, and 64 individuals through TDCJ, completed 2,054 CEU trainings, and placed trained peers in 30 Texas libraries and community organizations.
The business model was fee-based professional services: revenue derived from training and certification fees paid by individual learners for MHPS, RSPS, and PSS certifications, plus CEU training programs, and likely supplemental institutional contracts with state mental health authorities and TDCJ for training delivery and organizational transformation work. Pricing was not publicly disclosed. The organization ceased training programs effective August 1, 2025, with certificates available through Litmos until September 30, 2025, and designated Peer Academy as a successor entity for continued certification courses.
Via Hope firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Via Hope
- Legal name
- ViaHope
- Website
- https://viahope.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ViaHope was a Texas-based nonprofit that trained and certified Peer Specialists, Certified Family Partners, and Re-entry Peer Specialists in mental health from 2009 until ceasing training programs in August 2025, serving Texas mental health authorities, state hospitals, TDCJ, libraries, and community organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Via Hope industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Peer Support Training and Certification
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)
Keywords
Where Via Hope is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Via Hope business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Training and Certification Programs: Via Hope generated revenue through training and certification fees for peer specialist programs, including Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS), Recovery Peer Specialist (RSPS), and Peer Support Specialist (PSS) certifications. The organization also offered CEU (Continuing Education Unit) trainings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels1 record
Via Hope product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Via Hope delivered statewide training and certification programs for Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS), Recovery Peer Specialists (RSPS), and Peer Support Specialists (PSS) in Texas, plus continuing education unit (CEU) courses. The organization also provided organizational transformation services through its Recovery Institute to mental health authorities and state hospitals shifting from medical models to recovery-oriented, peer-driven care. Training was delivered via Zoom and managed through the Litmos learning management system.
Product overview
Via Hope was a non-profit organization offering a unified set of mental health training programs and certification services focused on peer support. The core offerings included Peer Specialist Certification (Texas's only statewide Mental Health Peer Specialist certification program), the Recovery Institute (organizational transformation services for mental health systems), and Innovation In Practice (evidence-based peer support practices aligned with SAMHSA guidelines). These programs operated as a coordinated portfolio—Peer Specialist Certification provided individual professional credentials, Recovery Institute drove systemic organizational change, and Innovation In Practice established national best practices. Via Hope ceased its training programs effective August 1, 2025, with references to Peer Academy as a successor organization for continued certification courses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Peer Specialist Certification: Texas's first and only statewide training and certification program for Mental Health Peer Specialists, creating a professional pathway that transformed how mental health services are delivered across the state.
- Recovery Institute
- Innovation In Practice
Products and services
- Peer Specialist Certification Statewide training and certification program for Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS), Recovery Peer Specialists (RSPS), and Peer Support Specialists (PSS), plus Certified Family Partner and Re-entry Peer Specialist credentials, with CEU training courses delivered via Zoom to individuals and partner organizations across Texas.
- Recovery Institute Organizational transformation service that helped 30 Texas mental health authorities and 8 state hospitals shift from traditional medical models to recovery-oriented, peer-driven approaches to care delivery.
- Innovation In Practice Program implementing SAMHSA-recognized Consumer Operated Service Programs (COSPs) and pioneering evidence-based peer support practices that set the standard for peer support services nationwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trained 2,168 Peer Specialists across Texas
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Via Hope
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Via Hope technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Via Hope partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)coreVia Hope partnered with TDCJ to deliver a specialized re-entry peer specialist training program, training 64 individuals through this initiative to support formerly incarcerated people with mental health needs transitioning back to communities.
- LitmoscoreLitmos served as Via Hope's training management system (LMS) for delivering programs, tracking completion, and managing certificates. Following Via Hope's closure announcement, training certificates must be downloaded from Litmos by September 30, 2025.
- Texas Mental Health AuthoritiescoreVia Hope's Recovery Institute helped 30 Texas mental health authorities transform from medical models to recovery-oriented, peer-driven approaches, serving as the primary implementation partner for organizational change.
- Texas State HospitalscoreVia Hope's Recovery Institute program supported 8 Texas state hospitals in organizational transformation, helping shift from institutional medical models to recovery-oriented care delivery.
- SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)coreVia Hope implemented SAMHSA-recognized Consumer Operated Service Programs (COSPs), establishing evidence-based peer support practices that set the standard for peer support services nationwide.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Via Hope competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS): iNAPS is the professional association for the peer support workforce, offering credentialing, ethics standards, and training resources. It is thematically aligned with ViaHope's peer specialist certification mission and serves as an industry body rather than a direct competitor.
Direct peers
- The Transformation Center: The Transformation Center is a peer-run nonprofit that delivers peer specialist training, supervision, and recovery-focused technical assistance across multiple U.S. states. It competes directly with ViaHope for the same certified peer specialist training market and recovery-oriented organizational change services.
- Peer Academy: Peer Academy is publicly cited on ViaHope's own website as the entity continuing Texas MHPS, RSPS, and PSS certification courses via Zoom. It is the most directly comparable peer and effectively ViaHope's operating successor, offering the same training stack to the same Texas audience.
- Recovery International: Recovery International trains peer-led mental health groups using a structured cognitive-peer methodology and offers training to leaders worldwide. It is comparable to ViaHope in its peer-led mental health training approach, though its distribution model is volunteer-led groups rather than state certification.
- C4 Innovations: C4 Innovations provides recovery-oriented training, technical assistance, and peer support services for mental health and substance use systems. Its portfolio of peer specialist training and organizational transformation consulting overlaps directly with ViaHope's Recovery Institute and certification programs.
- Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery: Copeland Center disseminates the WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) curriculum and trains peer specialists and recovery educators nationwide. It is a direct competitor in the evidence-based peer support training category that ViaHope occupied.
Broad incumbents
- National Council for Mental Wellbeing: National Council is a large, established mental health industry association serving 3,000+ member organizations with training, certification, and policy advocacy. It is a broader incumbent that offers overlapping peer support and mental health training content, but as part of a much wider portfolio rather than a Texas-only specialist.
- Mental Health America: Mental Health America is a national nonprofit that runs peer specialist training (including the flagship training program) and mental health education across the U.S. It is a broad incumbent offering peer support training at a national scale rather than focused on Texas.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): NAMI is a nationwide mental health advocacy organization that runs peer-to-peer education programs, family support groups, and provider training. While much larger and more general, its peer education and family support programs overlap with ViaHope's peer specialist and family partner offerings.
Emerging players
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA): DBSA runs peer-led support groups and peer specialist training for mood disorder populations. It has meaningful overlap with ViaHope's mental health peer support model but operates as a condition-specific nonprofit rather than a statewide certification program.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Via Hope social profiles
Digital presenceVia Hope financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Via Hope leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Via Hope funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Via Hope M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Via Hope
What does Via Hope do?
Via Hope delivered statewide training and certification programs for Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS), Recovery Peer Specialists (RSPS), and Peer Support Specialists (PSS) in Texas, plus continuing education unit (CEU) courses. The organization also provided organizational transformation services through its Recovery Institute to mental health authorities and state hospitals shifting from medical models to recovery-oriented, peer-driven care. Training was delivered via Zoom and managed through the Litmos learning management system.
Is Via Hope a public or private company?
Via Hope is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Via Hope founded?
Via Hope was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Via Hope based?
Via Hope is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Via Hope make money?
One revenue line is on record: training and Certification Programs.
Who are Via Hope's main competitors?
International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) is listed as an others. Direct peers are The Transformation Center, Peer Academy, Recovery International, C4 Innovations and Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. Broad incumbents are National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Mental Health America and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Via Hope have an API?
No public API is recorded for Via Hope.
What industry is Via Hope in?
Via Hope's product category is Mental Health Peer Support Training and Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFACAN, Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8000.