Hope Haven of Dekalb County Inc

Hope Haven started as a PADS Program, (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), in 1986 ran by volunteers who provided shelter and meals in five rotating churches from October 1st to April 1st, 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. In 1990, PADS morphed into a permanent shelter with a new name, Hope Haven. After renting space in a rehabbed laundry matt, we built a new 10,000 foot homeless shelter that allowed us to expand our capacity from 24 beds to 72. Ten years later, we expanded our shelter another 5,000 feet. The new space allowed us to add 30 additional beds and also a classroom for groups, life skills classes, and education. We also hired a psychiatrist, psychiatrict nurse and therapists to treat individuals with on-going mental health needs.

In 2004, Hope Haven opened its first supported, permanent housing program for chronically homeless individuals with a diagnosed mental illness. This 26 aparmtent complex has 24 hour supervison and case management to ensure the residents can maintain their housing. Not long after, we ecpanded the supportive housing program by providing 7 community based, subsidized vouchers to assist the same population but within the context of their own homes in the community. This population needed less supervision but enough case management to help them maintain their housing. In 2015, we added 12 single room occupancy units at our main shelter. This supportive, permanet housing model was designed for clients with the most acute mental illness. This population needs increaed supervision and mental health treatment to maintain their housing in order to avoid future homelessness, incarceration or repeated hospitalizations.  

As a result of the expansion, we were able to start a new drop in Life Skills Training Center open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. This program provides clinical services, life skills classes, benefit assistance, vocational preperation, referrals, socialization and meals for the homeless, those "at risk" of homelessness and the formerly homeless. 

With a complete clinical staff, we are now able to provide professional individual and group therapy which includes medication assessment and monitoring when necessary. Our newest groups are for teens who have experienced childhood trauma through physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse. We use a trauma informed therapy model along with experiential therapy. Experiential therapy includes art, music, mindullness, nature based actiities, camping, hiking and other outdoor excursions. After a year and a half of groups, we have seen our teens improve their grades, become involved with school activities, eliminate negative coping skills, (i.e. cutting, suicide ideation, fighting, etc), and gain healthy coping skills, (i.e. meditation, mindfullness, breath work, processing their feelings, etc).

Our agency's vision statement is for a community in which homeless individuals and families have accessible, comfortable and non-discriminatory access to shelter, food, mental health services, health care and other necessities in life. Hope Haven also envisions access to community resources and social support that will enable the homeless to make informed decisions neccesary to break the recidivism of homelessness.

The goals of Hope Haven are to:

1. Provide the homeless with shelter, food and case management in a secure and safe environment.

2. Move the homeless to permanent housing.

3. Reduce the number of days the homeless spend in shelter.

4. Reduce the recidivism of homelessness.

5. Increase employment and/or income for the homeless.

6. Ensure the homeless are receiving eligible mainstream benefits.

7. Prevent homelessness, when possible, through funds from our Homeless Prevention Program.

Providing services that are considered "best practices" in our field is valuable and important to Hope Haven. We have adjusted and grown numerous times to include programs and services that will assist our clients in receiving the help that they need, and deliver that assistance with respect and dignity.