The world celebrated what would have been Nelson Mandela ‘s 100th birthday this week, so I was thinking; my husband, Brian Rowland, and I can give some credit to his inspiring speeches about apartheid to actually helping open our eyes to the fact that our own government systems, too, were broken and trapping too many people in social, mental and economic crisis in our own respective oppressive systems. We privately thought to ourselves is it not called ‘grand standing’ when we act as if we are more morally correct than someone else, when in fact it could be said that we are guilty of almost the same human rights violations of which we accuse others of doing? Once we took the time to thoroughly research and understand what was happening to our own poverty-stricken communities in crisis, and the corresponding growth of the substance abuse and criminal justice systems and the unsustainable government dependence and costs associated with these problems, we could not turn a blind eye on our own neighbors – the entrenched system hurt everyone – it hurt all of us as tax payers and as concerned citizens, but most of all it was devastating the lives and the future generations of the least among us.
Without seeking any fanfare nor any outside support, we felt we had no choice but to take action and do something. Thankfully, we were in a position from which we could embark on a journey to creating what started out as a ‘side charity gig’, to help a few people out, into what today is known as A Safe Haven ̶ A trailblazing model and pioneer in the field of behavioral healthcare, that has been recognized repeatedly as one of the most innovative and vertically integrated models, that is rebuilding the lives of over 5,000 people a year. I am a believer, so if I said that this was all a result of our own idea it would be a lie; our plans were much smaller and only meant to be a temporary ‘give back’ facet of our lives, there was a greater spiritual force leading the way.
It was an inexplicable gravitational pull toward doing what we knew was literally transforming real lives, as we heard testimony after testimony of how A Safe Haven saved the lives of those we were helping, and the overwhelming feeling that we could not ignore the need to step out, in faith, to do what we felt was morally right for all humanity. I can only describe it something like this:
Imagine showing up at the scene of a train wreck and you’re pulling people out to safety, one by one, and there is no one around that even knows there’s a train wreck, and people are dying and at-risk of dying if you don’t keep helping them. So naturally, you’d hope others would arrive to help out, and in the mean time you too would’ve helped them, yourself, until you saved every last one of them, right? So, it was like that. As trained finance and business professionals we were just trying to do our best to continue connecting the dots, facilitating and financing everything so that we could meet our small team-of-two’s collective goals and help as many people as possible. Then over time, as more leaders in the field of social services, who also had a front row seat to the problem, joined us to bring their own expertise into the model and delivery system, we were relieved to have the added support. I do not say this looking for accolades of any kind because we are very Blessed, and I truly give credit where credit is due. For some it’s called ‘higher power’; for me all glory for the vision and the work goes to ‘God’. The problem of the systematic crisis we are battling transcends each of us and it will take all of us working together, and in lock step, to turn the trajectory around. And there will be no better time than now.
Thankfully, as you can probably surmise, this week was a week of high visibility, high impact and real miracles and break-throughs at A Safe Haven Foundation that are getting us closer to our goal and vision.
Understandably, while the morning of the 5k RUN! can only be described as downpouring with rain, with more thunderstorms predicted, many (perhaps most) planned participants decidedly stayed home. Believe it or not, to my own surprise, the 5k RUN! to End Homelessness was still a roaring success, as not even the rain could dampen the spirit of some of the folks who literally went the distance to be among the sea of revelers, runners and walkers to be there and be a part of representing the will of the ultimate warriors for humanity. They came from near and far including from places like Boston, New York, Oklahoma and Virginia to represent teams. Dr. Dolly Amaya, a Harvard faculty member; Victoria Falk and Seth Canon, recent grads of West Point, and many random folks in town for the Taste of Chicago, who came across our 5k perhaps just to burn off a few calories, and found themselves having fun and making a huge difference. Good for us that they came just in time to join us to fight the good fight! It’s also worth noting that, as if almost on ‘cue’, the rain stopped and started right when the 5k program started and ended, so no one really got wet, after all, as weather forecasters had predicted; thanks to mother nature doing her part to clear the skies for us! Though, as an avid runner, I wouldn’t have minded a few rain drops to cool things off as I tried to run without stopping, and failed miserably, as I had to take a detour to tend to guests. Please don’t judge me for not finishing!
We were so excited to have Celebrity ABC Sportscaster Dionne Miller emcee the event for the second consecutive year! I am sure she will agree that there is no sporting event that could ever surpass the feeling of championing the biggest underdogs in society and helping them WIN and to watch so many get a medal worth its weight in GOLD for doing their part! Ending homelessness is the ultimate extreme team sport and none of us can play it alone nor from passively sitting on the sidelines, either! Remember, like any sport, we have to pay and/or play or at least come out to cheer in order to win! By the way, that’s how Cubs & White Sox each won the world series, too, right? So be sure to cheer on many of, my real heroes, when you see them around town sporting cool coral A Safe Haven 5k Run/Walk T-shirts and sunglasses and other branded gear and goodies they got in their swag bags.
We were extremely honored to be joined at the 5k RUN! by a stellar line-up of Illinois top dignitaries and leaders who came out to speak, and in most cases even run themselves, on behalf of the cause, including: Alderman Joe Moore, Chair of the Housing Caucus; Aldermen Gilbert Villegas, Chair of the Veteran and Hispanic Caucuses in City Council; and Alderman James Cappleman, the event’s most hospitable ward host, and former social worker; Jim Cunningham, Regional Administrator for US Department of Housing and Urban Development; Illinois State Representative LaShawn K. Ford, Chair of Restorative Justice Committee and Main Sponsor of A Safe Haven authored IL House Bill 5868; and President of Small Business Advocacy Council Elliot Richardson. Both Representative LaShawn Ford and SBAC President Elliot Richardson were presented with A Safe Haven Leadership Awards for their work with spearheading and supporting the recently passed Landmark IL House Bill 5868 which closes the gap between healthcare and community based behavioral healthcare systems in Illinois, making our state’s model the most innovative, comprehensive and integrated model in the nation. The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Evelyn Sanguinetti, also spoke and read a letter from Governor Rauner on behalf of the cause and A Safe Haven; and we were also blessed by the presence of Cook County Board of Review, and the Past and Present Winner for largest team and highest funds raised on behalf of Military Veterans at A Safe Haven, Dan Patlak, who joined the stage to say a few words as part of his acceptance speech!
Special thanks to Singer Benjie Weiss, 22, who sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem; Kayla Garcia, 14, who covered the inspiring song ‘Titanium”; surprise guest and Chicago top musical producer, Don Burnside, who debuted a new song track by top Gospel Artist Jessica Love, called “Invisible people’, written especially for A Safe Haven. It was announced that Jessica will be joined by top Chicago artists and well-known media icons, to release the upcoming song, and they will donate a portion of the proceeds of the upcoming song, soon. DJ Oliver Fade kept the records and the music filling the airwaves to keep us all in the groove throughout the event for the 8th year in a row; and Chicago Zumba team, led by Norma Zambrano, warmed up the crowd with fun Zumba moves and laughter, before the run.
The finale was the incredible and inspiring testimonial by 2012 ASH Alum Angalia Bianca, who shared her story of overcoming 36 years of a cycle of opioid and heroin addiction, incarceration and homelessness. Today, she is reunited with her formerly estranged family, including her four grown children, owns her own home, is living a positive and productive life, and is committed to paying it forward. After three decades of trying and being in and out of other treatment programs, she has proven that no matter how many years it’s been since she’s moved on from A Safe Haven, she never forgets where she came from. We are grateful that she generously shares her story about her journey and the role that A Safe Haven played in her life with anyone who will listen! She also announced that we can all plan to read her riveting true story that will be available for the public this October! With the support of her dedicated publisher, Linda Beckstrom, she conveys the story of how she became an addict, starting as a child when her mother abandoned her, at the age of nine, that eventually took her to the darkest depths of despair, to getting to the top of her field that now takes her around the world! The journey upwards all started at A Safe Haven. She describes it in brutally honest detail in her upcoming book called In Deep. She and her attorney and A Safe Haven Board Member, Linda Mensch, also announced that a percentage of the proceeds from both of their royalties will be given to A Safe Haven Foundation. We were excited to surprise her with the 2018 Voice of an Angel award after her testimony! She broke down in tears and so did many in the crowd- it was beautiful to see so many tears of joy and perhaps the light drizzle we got, at the end of our program, were tears of joy from above, too!
As a perfect bookend to our already amazing week, as we basked in the glow of a successful event behind us, on Friday, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Benjamin Solomon Carson, visited A Safe Haven Foundation.
It was an inaugural visit by any Secretary of our Nation’s Housing and Urban Development Agency. While we have invested in over 40 transitional, supportive and affordable and senior housing developments, to become what is often lauded as the most unique, and vertically integrated continuum of housing, that has successfully helped transition the vast majority of over 110,000 people, over the last 24 years, to permanent housing, it felt wonderful to be validated for the first time by hosting the first ever US Secretary of HUD at ASHF. As many of you know, A Safe Haven Foundation was recently selected by HUD as the solely designated ‘Envision Center’ from a highly competitive pool of applicants. A Safe Haven will serve as one of seventeen EnVision Centers in the US. It is my understanding that each one will be different; however, at A Safe Haven Foundation, we are planning for it to serve as a way to build on our already solid foundation of public/private and community partners, to be a one-stop-shop where Federal agencies are all under one roof, in addition to hundreds of other regional and local, public and private, and various other types of organizations. We are excited for the opportunity to help streamline funding and services directly to those we serve so that there will be less waste and more efficient use of each of the precious few resources that are available. The EnVision Center will help us scale to meet traditional needs, like providing basic human needs such as a roof over the head of those that need one, and three healthy nutritious meals a day; as well as access to a whole host of multi-disciplinary services like treatment, education, job training and more innovative employment opportunities, with both public and private partners and employers, that will help lead to further opportunity for people who are traditionally left out of the most cutting-edge jobs. Through the ASHF Envision Center we plan to provide people in public housing, and from the community, access to the best of the best that’s available. There is so much more to come for this work in progress, and we will keep you all abreast, and let us know how we can partner with you too by contacting us at info@ASafeHaven.org .
At A Safe Haven Foundation, we tend to move along at a fast pace with high expectations, and we don’t stop, because we know that poverty and homelessness are urgent issues and people in crisis just can’t wait any more. Many people tell us that we have come a long way, and the truth is, we could not have come this far without the support of everyone on the team who goes above the call of duty to get us one step closer to helping influence a much better system paradigm that can grow much larger to meet the huge demand for our services, and one that fosters compassion and success to help anyone in their time of need, get back on track, sooner rather than later. Today, we turn too many people away, due to lack of funding. We are so grateful that this designation as an EnVision Center will help us reach more people with added resources.
In a day and age when social media and news media is accused of being ‘fake’, ‘sensational’ ‘fleeting’ or ‘bias and/or divisive’ or only concerned with chasing the next negative ‘sound bite’ from celebrities or politicians, as for me, maybe I’m old school. I urge people in my family and on our team to disregard the distractions and stay focused and to look for substance and truth that is only seen when real outrage and problems are met with real and systemic solutions. It is up to each of us to make sure that we use our own voices to balance and ensure equal coverage and to remember that “actions speak louder than words”. It is said that what we focus on most persists. How are things supposed to get better if we don’t ever feature the good? So, thank you to the media outlets and other centers of influence that use their powerful platforms to serve as forces for good, too. As for me, and on behalf of all of us at A Safe Haven, we choose to focus on what we can better every day, to do more good, and we are grateful for the opportunity to highlight so many names here who have also joined us on our journey and will continue to do so as dedicated partners. Our only regret is that we couldn’t mention everyone.
Finally, while we embark on this HUD 5-year demonstration project, please keep an eye on us, pray for us as we seek to build and deliver on our promise as citizens just like you, as we are entrusted to do our part as good stewards of public and private resources as the new ‘Envision Center” for HUD, and more importantly on behalf of the lives we serve, and be sure to hold us accountable! Of course, our goal is to make all of you proud to be Americans with a shared vision that leads the world by example and allows everyone to have access to a place that helps them get back on their own two feet and to be empowered to achieve their God given potential.
Love Conquers All,
Neli Vazquez Rowland, President
