SAN ANTONIO — Few organizations have done as much to mitigate their city’s homelessness problem as Haven for Hope.
The Dallas Express was treated to a tour of the Haven for Hope campus in San Antonio earlier in July.
According to an economic impact report, the organization made huge strides in addressing homelessness and vagrancy:
“After one year upon graduating from Haven for Hope, [92%] of … graduates remain in housing. … Ultimately, this has resulted in a 77% reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness in downtown San Antonio since Haven for Hope opened.”
Alberto Rodriguez, vice president of transformational operations for Haven for Hope, told The Dallas Express that the organization helps move roughly 1,000 homeless people into permanent housing each year.
“Our average length of stay for individuals on our campus is about four months, depending on the time of year. … While we do have individuals that have been here for years, that’s usually the exception,” Rodriguez said.
Haven for Hope serves as a “one-stop-shop” for homeless services in San Antonio, offering food, housing, medical care, drug treatment programming, job training, and a slew of other services to meet the needs of the city’s homeless population.
“Per capita, homelessness is down 4% since Haven opened. During that same time, [San Antonio’s] population increased by 39%,” said Terri Behling, director of communications for Haven for Hope.
Despite the significant progress made by the organization, Behling noted that they still see families with children enrolling in the program. Consequently, the campus is outfitted with a playground and a classroom. Children are also kept in school, with local school districts making sure to add the campus to their bus routes when necessary.
“Right now it’s about 200 children in the program that would otherwise be sleeping out on the streets or somewhere unsafe,” Rodriguez said.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a poll conducted last year found that Dallas residents support a “one-stop-shop” homeless services strategy to help mitigate the impact that widespread homelessness and vagrancy have had on the city.