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North Park Subaru Gives Back to Haven During “Share the Love” Campaign

North Park Subaru in San Antonio has chosen Haven for Hope as one of its Hometown Charities during the Subaru Share the Love Event. Now through January 2, 2025, North Park Subaru will donate $75 to Haven for every vehicle leased or sold at its location.

Subaru conducts its Share the Love campaign nationally to give back to four national charities, and each dealership has the opportunity to choose local nonprofits in their communities. The national charities include the ASPCA, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, Melas On Wheels Association of America, and the National Park Foundation.

“We are honored North Park Subaru chose us as one of their Hometown Charities this year,” said Kim Jefferies, Haven’s president and CEO. “We are grateful for strong community support as we continue to assist nearly 1,700 individuals who are experiencing homelessness daily.”

This past spring, North Park Subaru partnered with the University of Texas San Antonio’s (UTSA) baseball team for a “Strikeout Homelessness” promotion and donated more than $5,000 to Haven for Hope.

Click here to learn more about North Park Subaru’s Share the Love event and Hometown Charities.

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Spotlight on Crimes Against Unsheltered Individuals in San Antonio

From Kens 5 News: www.kens5.com

SAN ANTONIO — It is a crime category that nobody is tracking but some mutual aid workers say it would be a good idea.

In the last two months there have been a number of violent attacks against people who are homeless.

Susana Segura of Bread and Blankets Mutual Aid, who provides food and other types of assistance to the needy in her westside neighborhood, said “I keep hearing all these stories of violence from our houseless folks. Somebody needs to be keeping track of this.”

Terri Behling, of Haven For Hope, agrees.

“Any data that could be collected would show us trends and perhaps could identify some areas that our outreach teams and the community resources can kind of come in and target those areas where the most vulnerable are located,” Behling said.

Behling said it’s no surprise that more violent crimes are being noticed.

“We do know the unsheltered are the most vulnerable in our community and unfortunately are the victims of crimes that often go unreported,” Behling said.

One of the latest attacks happened just before midnight Wednesday in the downtown area.

San Antonio Police said a houseless woman with multiple stab wounds is hospitalized and the suspect is still on the streets.

The night before, on the west side on Zarzamora, a homeless man was stabbed during a fight, according to police.

The attacks are not confined to any one section of the city.

Earlier in July, on the northwest side near Fredericksburg Road people have been shot in two different incidents.

On De Chantle, police said a homeless man emerged from a drainage culvert with a gunshot wound to his foot.

On July 5, in the 3600 block of Fredericksburg, a man told police he was climbing a fence to get to a camp when someone shot him in the leg.

“And these are the ones that you are aware of,” Segura said, adding, there are other deaths that go unreported, like a homeless man who was reportedly washed into a westside creek.

“When we were getting rain and the creeks were flooded I got a call from a distraught family member who was told that their loved one was drowned in a creekway,” Segura said.

In east San Antonio in late June, EMS took a woman to the hospital with burns. The initial report from police on the scene on Rice Road is that the victim was in a car at a homeless camp and someone shattered her window and set the car on fire. A fire department spokesman said the victim went to the hospital in Priority One condition, which means the possibility of life threatening injuries.

Segura said the area is struggling under the burden of not having enough capacity to help everyone who needs it.

“There isn’t a lot of shelter available even though it seems like there is a lot of capacity, there are more homeless people than there are beds available,” Segura said.

Behling said “We are the largest shelter in our community and we have been operating over capacity for the past two years, so when it is hot like this we are encouraging folks to find shelter anywhere they can.”

Behling said compassion is a valuable gift now, adding “It is important for everyone in our community to know we are all human and we all have a story and not to make assumptions about the folks that they see on the streets.”

Segura added, “I urge people to be kind. If you see something say something.  If you think someone is having a medical emergency, try to get them help because people often call the cops on homeless people and people are unjustly criminalized not knowing what the situation is.”

Some homeless advocates say it is always safer to make donations through reputable mutual aid organizations. You can find the links to a few by clicking the link here.

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Tanavita – Overcoming substance use and mental health barriers

Tanavita came to Haven for Hope for one purpose – to get help with her mental health. Tanavita grew up in a loving family. She was raised in California and “never wanted for anything.” She recalls family trips to Disneyland and the beach.

Tanavita is like many of Haven’s clients. She suffers from depression and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. When possible, she took the proper medications, but when things would get rough, she self-medicated with drugs and alcohol. She moved around a lot and eventually moved to East Texas when her sister asked her to come and live with her. While at her sister’s, Tanavita got a job but was very lonely. Her depression worsened.

Her Mom and daughter had moved to San Antonio. Tanavita knew she wanted to help care for her Mom, but she needed to get her life back on track. Tanavita turned to Google and found Haven for Hope. Haven is the second shelter she has been to. She came with the goal to get the proper medication for her mental health conditions and learn to become a part of society again.

“I am a willing participant. I follow all the guidelines,” she said. “I have utilized the Clinical Services, Income and Skills Development resources and landed a job within 22 days.” Staff at Haven have suggested that Tanavita become a peer support counselor.

Click here to hear from Tanavita and her experiences at Haven for Hope.

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Thankful for Sobriety

Thirty-one years of drinking and drugging led Sheron Bounds to over a year of incarceration. It was while she was in jail, she first heard about the Bexar County Adult Drug Court (BCADC). The BCADC strives to reduce arrest and incarceration rates of alcohol and drug offenders in the criminal justice system.  The Adult Drug Court holds defendants accountable and assists them in achieving long-term recovery.

As part of her probation, Sheron entered the BCADC. Faced with being homeless after her release, Sheron entered Haven for Hope over two years ago. While at Haven and continuing the Adult Drug Court, Sheron was able to address some of her underlying mental health issues. She was able to access other needed resources such as employment and counseling services. Now 21
months sober, Sheron recently graduated from Adult Drug Court. She is working towards obtaining housing and someday hopes to pay it forward by counseling others with addiction issues. We are thankful for Sheron’s success!