Haven staff were interviewed by KSAT 12 regarding the upcoming winter weather event. Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing starting Sunday evening, January 14, through early next week.
Here is the story.
941-685-0204 Terri.Behling@HavenforHope.org
January 10, 2024 – Haven for Hope has been operating over capacity for two years, averaging between 1650 and 1720 clients per night. As the weather in San Antonio gets colder and freezing temperatures are predicted into next week, Haven will prioritize emergency overflow winter sleeping space for San Antonio families experiencing homelessness.
Haven has been working with our partners in the Homeless Response System and the City of San Antonio on alternative shelter spaces for individuals seeking shelter during freezing weather events, as Haven will prioritize families. Corazon Day Center, Communities Under the Bridge, SAMMinistries, and will have emergency shelter capacity if needed. The Salvation Army and other partners in the Homeless Response System may also have space available.
In addition to prioritizing families for overflow winter sleeping, Haven staff regularly provides winter weather gear to our clients. Haven’s Outreach Team distributes hand warmers, coats, sleeping bags, gloves, and other items to unsheltered individuals. In our community, coordinated outreach workers from CAM, Centro, and the City of San Antonio distribute warming items to unsheltered individuals and offer transport to those who want temporary shelter in local churches.
If someone is experiencing homelessness and seeking services and shelter, they can call the City’s Homeless Connections Hotline at 210-207-1799.
Haven for Hope is partnering with Smiles Behind Goods for a Share the Warmth event on Saturday, January 13, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The weather is predicted to get cold in San Antonio, and for those experiencing homelessness, a coat, hat, scarf, gloves, or long-sleeved shirt can go a long way.
If you live in San Antonio and can drop off some winter gear items to Haven this weekend, you won’t have to leave your car! Drive to our Donation Center, 1 Haven for Hope Way; volunteers will collect your donation. We’ll have some local social media influencers at Haven helping us collect the donations.
Can’t make it? Visit our Amazon Wishlist, choose an item, and it will ship directly to Haven!
If you would like to support Haven with a cash donation, your support will go a long way to keep our clients warm this winter. Click here to donate.
Haven for Hope recently completed a beautiful butterfly garden called Kate’s Garden. Rainbow Gardens Nursery donated some of the native plants. Staff recently gave a tour to Robin Norton, Rainbow Gardens’ Nursery Event Coordinator, to show how the garden provides relaxation and education for Haven clients and staff.
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.
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:
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!
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.
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:
To read the full report, click here.
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.
