MISSION STATEMENT:
HISTORY: The beginnings of The Haven Family Violence and Sexual
Assault Shelter are rooted in a Community Futures Forum conducted by the
McCulloch County Cooperative Extension Office in 1999. It was
determined by participants of this meeting that one of the most critical
issues facing the county was the need for a family violence shelter.
Within a few weeks, under the leadership of County Extension Agent Jane
Holubec, an Action Planning Group was formed to begin plans for the
shelter’s establishment. Eight of the 78 participants of the Community
Futures Forum participated in the group. The members mirrored diversity
within the community and represented clergy, medical care, local
commerce, social services, and education.
Within four months, the Action Planning Group had
completed the following tasks:
By January 2000, the Action Planning Group was organized
into a Family Shelter Board. Members established a name for the
shelter, wrote by-laws, and submitted grant applications for funding. In
April of 2000, the board was notified that they had been awarded an
initial Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant of $89,648 through the Concho
Valley Council of Governments. The funds for the grant provided
operating costs for one year for the shelter. Due to the family shelter
not having received its legal status to operate as a nonprofit
organization, The McCulloch County Commissioners Court agreed to run the
family shelter for the first year under the auspices of the county’s
nonprofit status.
With the donated building having not been used for some
time, much work was required to get it ready for operation. Under the
leadership of the board, many volunteers donated time and resources to
the building’s renovation. 4-H members and leaders spent many hours
cleaning, painting and securing the building to meet shelter security
codes. Community residents and church groups adopted rooms and
completely furnished them. A local pastor donated his time to building a
new kitchen and utility room for the facility. A Senior 4-H member
donated time to weld gates and to help build a security fence around the
shelter. A church youth group from Houston replaced the roof. The
result was a spacious, safe, comfortable, and attractive shelter for
clients in need.
Since aiding its first client in 2001, The Haven has
served more than 1,800 victims of domestic violence and/or sexual
assault. |