15-year-old high-capacity shelter a model for SJ re: addressing root causes of homelessness
Haven for Hope in San Antonio, TX
In 2010, Haven for Hope opened in South TX to provide not only housing but also much-needed services to help folks stay independent, healthy, and safe. Even a few years after its founding, the shelter had already reduced San Antonio's homeless population by 80%. From the New York Times.
Ray Gutierrez’s green eyes twinkle and his cheeks dimple with a shy smile when he looks across the table at Evita Morin, the former intake worker at Haven for Hope, who he said helped save his life.
“I probably would have been dead now,” said Mr. Gutierrez, 61, a recovering alcoholic. “I was helpless.”
Haven for Hope of Bexar County, is a 20-acre community that provides services, shelter and safety for people who are homeless or nearly so. Working with dozens of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, mental and medical health providers and religious groups, Haven helps people like Mr. Gutierrez make the transition from the street to a healthy home and a job. …
Haven opened in 2010 after an infusion of money and a fund-raising effort by a local business leader and a push from former Mayor Phil Hardberger of San Antonio to address the city’s homeless population. It has annual revenue of about $15.5 million, and nearly $1.6 million of that comes from state financing.
“You need to have some investment from your community,” said Mark Carmona, Haven’s chief executive. “It can’t be completely government-backed.”
The campus includes an intake center and mental health and medical clinics. A converted warehouse holds dozens of offices for nonprofits. About 790 residents live in barracks-style dormitories for men, women and families. Prospects Courtyard provides a safe outdoor sleeping area for more than 500 homeless people nightly. ...
Mr. Gutierrez came to the courtyard last year. He was almost completely blind, his eyes clouded by cataracts.
“I feared,” Mr. Gutierrez recalled. “I was afraid of getting robbed, beat up.”
Haven found doctors who performed surgery to restore Mr. Gutierrez’s sight. He now lives in a dorm for recovering alcoholics, and staff members are helping him find a job as a dental technician. …
San Antonio’s homeless population has fallen about 80 percent since Haven opened in 2010
In the first year it was open, there were about 5,000 fewer bookings at Bexar County Jail. Haven estimates its services saved about $50 million that would have otherwise been spent on local jails, emergency rooms and courtrooms.
Mr. Carmona said Haven’s success results from its focus on the root causes of homelessness — usually mental illness or drug abuse, or a combination.
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