The Haven Heartbeat

Haven Update

A Full House. A New Baby. And So Much To Be Grateful For.

September brought a milestone we have prayed and prepared for since The Haven first opened its doors.

For the first time, every room at The Haven is occupied.

A full house means more than bedrooms being filled. It means young women have a safe place to sleep tonight. It means meals around the table, rides to appointments, conversations with staff, preparation for motherhood, babies being loved, and young moms having room to consider what comes next.

And September brought another reason to celebrate: a healthy new baby joined The Haven family.

Our house is full of life right now; in every sense of the word.

There are also young women still looking for that same opportunity. At the close of the month, four pregnant moms were on our waiting list, a reminder that reaching capacity is both an important milestone and evidence of how much need remains.

SEPTEMBER AT A GLANCE

112 Nights of Safe Care
5 Moms Actively Served
3 Babies Served
1 Healthy Baby Born
100% Residential Occupancy
4 Pregnant Moms on Our Waiting List

Every number represents a life, a story, and another reason this work matters.

As we step into October and begin to see the signs of fall all around us, I’m reminded that seasons of change can hold both beauty and uncertainty. At The Haven, we are entering this new season with a full house. Every room is occupied, and several more pregnant women are currently waiting and hoping for a place to call home on our waitlist. Being at capacity is both encouraging and sobering. We are grateful for every young woman who has found safety, stability, and support within these walls, but we are also reminded that the need continues to be great. Behind every application and every name on our waiting list is a young woman with a story, often one that includes circumstances far more difficult than most of us can imagine.

October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month, something that is especially significant to us at The Haven. Many of the women who come through our doors have experienced domestic violence or unhealthy and unsafe relationships. For some, coming to The Haven is one of the first steps toward discovering what safety can feel like for the first time.

Our hope is that The Haven will continue to be more than simply a place to stay. We want it to be a place where young women can experience safety, build healthy relationships, develop new skills, and begin imagining a different future for themselves and their babies.

As we enter this fall season, I am especially thankful for the people who make that possible. Your prayers, generosity, encouragement, and support allow us to say “yes” to women in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

Thank you for standing with us as we provide a safe haven today while helping young moms build a hopeful future for tomorrow.

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” — Psalm 9:9

Championing For The Mamas and The Babies,

There is something special happening inside The Haven right now.

Yes, all four residential spaces are occupied. But what has encouraged our team most isn't simply that the rooms are full.

It's what is beginning to happen between the people living in them.

Our staff has watched the young women develop meaningful relationships with one another and with the people walking alongside them. A new resident is thriving. Moms are sharing everyday life, encouraging one another, preparing for their babies, and experiencing the kind of community that can be difficult to measure; but impossible to overlook.

And this month, that community welcomed its newest little member.

One of our moms safely delivered a healthy baby, giving everyone at The Haven another reason to celebrate.

These are the moments that remind us why The Haven was never intended to be simply a house.

It is a place to belong.

A place where a young woman can be surrounded by people who know her, encourage her, challenge her and celebrate the milestones along the way.

Small Steps. Big Milestones

Progress doesn't always arrive with a big announcement.

Sometimes it looks like a young mom doing something for herself and her baby that she wasn't able to do before.

This month, one of our moms reached one of those moments.

She was able to begin paying for her baby's childcare with money she had earned herself.

Our staff described how proud she was to be able to provide for her child.

It may sound like an ordinary expense. But behind that payment is something much bigger: employment, responsibility, planning, consistency and the growing confidence that comes from being able to say, “I can provide this for my baby.”

At The Haven, independence isn't one giant leap.

It is built through moments like this; one decision, one accomplishment and one new responsibility at a time.

And those are milestones worth celebrating.

After the rain.

Sometimes the simplest moments offer the best reminders.

A rainbow appeared over The Haven this month; a quiet picture of hope stretching above a house filled with moms, babies, growth, uncertainty, laughter, hard work and new beginnings.

There will always be storms.

But there is also hope.

And sometimes, we're given a beautiful reminder to look up and see it.

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” — Genesis 9:13

Ways To Support

More Than A Car

Sometimes generosity arrives in ways we never expected.

Recently, three vehicles have been donated to The Haven; an extraordinary outpouring of generosity that reminds us just how many different ways our community can help young mothers move toward independence.

For many of the women we serve, reliable transportation can represent far more than simply getting from one place to another.

It can mean getting to work consistently.

Making it to prenatal and medical appointments.

Continuing an education.

Taking a child to the doctor.

Buying groceries.

Keeping important appointments.

And, perhaps most importantly, having greater control over the direction of her own life.

That's why a donated vehicle can become such a meaningful part of a young mother's journey toward stability.

One of these recently donated vehicles is already becoming exactly that. This month, a former Haven resident will receive a vehicle of her own, giving her another important tool as she continues building an independent future for herself and her family.

What makes this season especially remarkable is that these vehicle donations weren't the result of a campaign or a specific request. Members of our community simply recognized something they had that could potentially make a difference; and chose to give it.

Three vehicles. Three acts of generosity. And possibilities that extend far beyond the driver's seat.

Could Your Vehicle Make a Difference?

Perhaps you have a reliable vehicle you no longer need.

Maybe you're considering purchasing a new car and haven't decided what to do with your current one.

Or perhaps someone you know has mentioned having an extra vehicle they would like to put to meaningful use.

We'd love for you to think of The Haven.

Depending upon the vehicle and the needs of the ministry, a donated vehicle may have the opportunity to support a young mother directly or provide financial resources that help The Haven continue serving moms and babies.

If you have a vehicle you may be interested in donating; or know someone who does, please reach out to us to start a conversation.

Contact THE HAVEN about a vehicle donation!

Not every gift looks the same. Sometimes, the road toward a brighter future begins with something as practical as a set of keys.