The Juneau Community Foundation (JCF) granted $5,000 to Haven House, Inc., on behalf of the Machamer Fund, a donor-directed fund of the Foundation. The grant will be used to help fund Haven House staffing.
Haven House is a faith-based organization and will provide structured transitional housing and support for women exiting the correctional system. It will also offer counseling, treatment for substance abuse, life skills, and employment coaching, as needed, for up to one year. Haven House will offer an opportunity for some women coming out of prison to help themselves.
One of Haven House’s primary goals is to reduce the high rate of female recidivism by providing healthy alternatives to the lifestyles that previously led to incarceration. This organization was established by members of several local churches to begin to provide the help needed for women released from prison in Juneau. The board hopes to open the first Haven House home in 2013.
After almost 30 years of volunteering in prison ministry, Ellen Campbell, founding member of Haven House Juneau, fully realized the great need for transitional housing for women leaving prison.
“Women released from prison need help. To successfully mainstream into society, women need a safe haven where they can focus on healing their lives, begin to change their lifestyles, and address the drug and alcohol abuse. The safe haven we hope to construct will address those issues while providing shelter.” Campbell said.
The Haven House board members have expressed great appreciation at receiving the contribution from the Machamer Fund and to the Juneau Community Foundation for making it possible.
Haven House, a public non-profit organization, is working to establish community partners, raise funds to support qualified staff, and obtain a home for these women. They are looking to grants and fundraising to help meet expenses and the women served will also be making contribution from their earnings to cover living expenses. If you are interested in supporting this organization, please contact: Haven House Juneau, P.O. Box 20875, Juneau, AK, 99802; or Adele Hamey, Treasurer, at 780-6310 or 723-1520.
If you have questions or would like more information about the Juneau Community Foundation, please visit www.juneaucf.org or call 523-5450.
The Juneau Community Foundation is a local charitable organization with a board of directors from the community. The Foundation was established to make it easy for Juneau residents to make donations to charitable causes they feel strongly about, such as local recreation programs, schools, scholarships, social services, arts and humanities, or other nonprofit agencies. We hope to encourage and increase personal philanthropy in Juneau by offering flexible, individualized ways to give with attractive tax advantages. In partnership with our donors, we hope to create a permanent community endowment for our community’s future needs.
