Deliver a replicable, shelter-embedded academic and social-emotional enrichment curriculum for elementary-aged children.
Reimagining the shelter as a site for childhood, creativity, and growth.
In 2024, nearly a third of Philadelphians without housing were families with children. When a family lands in a shelter, the building is built for beds and paperwork — not for childhood.
These overburden shelters are ill-equipped to support the:
- 1critical development of children
- 2identity-building and autonomy of youth, and
- 3employment barriers of caregivers.
The Home for Arts, Voices, Enrichment, and Nurturing (HAVEN)
was built in response to this.
HAVEN is a non-profit after-school program integrating storytelling, dance therapy, and arts creation for children living in-shelter. We partner with Jane Addams Place, a family shelter in North Philadelphia, to bring enrichment directly to where families spend the most time.
Provide leadership opportunities for high-school youth living in shelters.
Reduce caregiver supervision burdens to support employment and housing stability.
By supporting a child, an adolescent, and their caregiver(s) — together — HAVEN strives to nurture the success of the whole family.