Harmony is taking classes and utilizing Haven’s resources to regain her independence and find housing.
Harmony – Regaining Her Independence
Destin – Connecting with Peers
Destin is one of Haven’s Young Adult clients. Haven has seen an increase in young adults experiencing homelessness in our community. In FY 2023, Haven served 789 young adults aged 18-24, a 31% increase from the previous year.
Haven launched a Young Adult program, which includes 24 beds in our low-barrier side of campus, the Courtyard, and 28 beds on our Transformational Campus.
The young adult program includes specialty case management, gender-neutral restrooms, and common areas with TVs, gaming devices, and computers.
Haven Client Moves into Apartment After Years on the Street
Nate came to Haven in May after spending years on the street. He had tried Haven before but didn’t stay. This time, he decided he needed to do something different with his life. “I was going down the wrong path,” Nate shares.
While at Haven, he accessed several resources, including ID recovery and financial literacy classes, and regained access to benefits.
Thanks to a new referral program with Opportunity Home, Nate qualified for affordable housing, which is permanent and available for single households for individuals 62 or older and/or someone with a disability.
KSAT News interviewed Nate in July while at Haven and did a follow-up story about his apartment. Watch the story by clicking here.
Haven Operating Above Capacity
KSAT 12 recently came to Haven to learn more about the number of clients being served. For the past couple of months, Haven has been serving more than 1,700 clients daily.
Watch the story here:
Haven Receives $45,000 Grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Clients have access to multiple classes a week.
Haven is excited to announce the receipt of a $45,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The funding will help Haven provide shelter, housing, and wraparound support for people experiencing homelessness.
In addition, the grant will leverage state funding, thus doubling the impact of the support from Bank of America.
Since 2010, Haven has helped more than 43,000 clients transform their lives by providing access to valuable resources such as counseling, substance-use treatment, financial sustainability classes, income and skills development, housing assistance, and more. Working with more than 70 community partners, many with office space located at Haven, we address the root cause of an individual’s homelessness and meet our clients where they are.
To read about one client’s journey at Haven, click here!
BLCCS Donates New Air Conditioner to Haven
When Haven for Hope’s Chapel air conditioning unit was only running at 1/2 its capacity this summer, Shannon Mills, owner of BLCCS, knew something had to be done.
Haven has seen an influx of families experiencing homelessness and many of the Family Emergency Services clients sleep in the Chapel. The temperature was reaching 80 degrees every night. BLCCS who regularly maintains Haven’s HVAC systems determined the cost for repairs would be $18,000. But there was one problem, it was hard to find the parts. It was estimated it would take weeks or months to get it repaired. Plus the unit was more than 15 years old, so Mills decided Haven needed a brand new unit. BLCCS donated the 2,000-ton air conditioner and the labor for installation, at a value of more than $40,000.
“I started my business knowing I wanted to get to the point where I could give back,” said Mills. “We couldn’t have people who are already dealing with a difficult situation, sleep in uncomfortable conditions.”
Clients gathered near the Chapel to see the new unit get installed. “This is amazing,” said one client. “It’s been so hot in the Chapel at night. It makes it hard to sleep, especially for the babies and children.” When the clients found out the air conditioner was donated, they quickly expressed their gratitude to Mills and her team.
Click below to watch news coverage of the generous donation.
Felisha – From Haven to Home
Felisha shares her Haven journey. She was a client twice, and now wants a career where she can give back to those struggling with addiction and homelessness.
Tatiana Shares Haven Story
Tatiana shares how Haven for Hope helped her get back on her feet with employment and a new apartment.
Haven’s Impact to the Community – $5.6 Billion
Haven for Hope’s Economic Impact in San Antonio
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation contracted with Steve Nivin, Ph.D. to conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis of Haven for Hope. The purpose of the study was to measure the net benefits of the services provided by Haven for Hope to the community from 2007 – 2019. The benefits measured in the study included the economic and fiscal impacts of Haven’s operations, the economic and fiscal impacts of the volunteers at Haven, the benefits of reduced crime, the benefits of providing school stability to children, and the benefits of medical care, housing, and other care services.
Some key findings include:
- Haven for Hope’s net benefits to the community averaged $5.6 billion.
- For every $1 spent to create and operate Haven, the community has received $29 in benefits.
- In total, benefits derived from the reduced criminal activity are approximately $142 million.
- Haven for Hope assisted 3,911 clients with obtaining employment. Those 3,911 contributed more than $433 million back to the community including $2,049,613 to local, state, and federal governments.
To read the full report, click here.
More Families Experiencing Homelessness
Haven for Hope has seen an increase in families experiencing homelessness for the past year. Inflation, the end of pandemic relief funds, and rising rental costs have contributed to the increase.
Haven spoke with News 4 San Antonio about this trend. Click here to see the story.
