Haven Adolescent Community Respite Center is a youth- and family-focused organization that that provides support services in times of domestic conflict. Haven is focused on keeping teens safe and providing them with access to opportunities to develop personally via counseling, peer mentorship, and community service. The Partnership was proud to award Haven with one of our 2018 mini-grants. We asked them the same five questions we asked our other grantees, here’s how they answered:

What does building a culture of health mean to you?
Building a culture of health in Jersey City is about building a community conversation about how to support resilient families for Haven. When families with teens have the support they need, teens stay safe even when there is conflict at home.

What would you identify as your most significant accomplishment so far towards building a greater culture of health? What have been some of your toughest barriers?
We have built support groups for parents/guardians and teens that work. We have an active group of approximately 40 youth participants who see Haven as a safe space to ask for help and get support. Many of their parents and guardians call on us when times are tough. We still work daily to maintain the trust of youth and their families and to keep young people and their families focused on building a resilient future rather than figuring out who to blame for conflicts in the present.

Tell us about your team. What they do to build a culture of health in Jersey City?
We have a team of 6 social workers and youth advocates who provide support to youth and parents/guardians during times of crisis, provide our weekly Cook. Eat. Talk. sessions for youth, run our life skills group for youth in Greenville three times a week in our building and facilitate a range of support groups for parents/guardians and teens.

How do you plan on using your Culture of Health Grant?
Our culture of health grant will support our signature Cook. Eat. Talk. program, allowing a group of 20 youth to gather on three to four Saturdays and cook a meal together in Haven’s safe space and have facilitated discussion with our social work and youth advocacy staff.

If you knew of an organization that was thinking of joining the Partnership for a Healthier JC, what would you say to encourage them to join?
It is part of a city-led effort to change the culture of Jersey City, promoting health but also cooperation between not for profits.

For more information about HAVEN, please click here.