Overview
In summer 2015, The Haven was among 38 recipients of ArtPlace America’s National Grants Program, selected from a pool of nearly 1,300 applicants. ArtPlace, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies dedicated to creative placemaking, invested $200,000 in Charlottesville to further integrate arts and culture into the field of community planning and development.
Housing2Home, a joint program between The Haven and New City Arts, promotes stability among formerly-homeless clients by combining state-funded rental subsidies with creative interventions.
The Program
Over 25% of the residents of Charlottesville, Virginia live in poverty and over 500 families and individuals experience homelessness every year. Despite increased government support for housing and rental subsidies, formerly homeless clients of The Haven have expressed feelings of social isolation in their new homes and find it difficult to adjust to their new communities. Through Housing2Home, The Haven partners with New City Arts Initiative to facilitate homemaking sessions with clients to create a more positive home environment that reflects each client’s needs. We emphasize client choice, with the goal of creating personalized, comfortable and happy spaces and, consequently, more sustainable housing situations.
“[Housing2Home] is a great example of how incorporating the arts into community-based efforts can help complement other sectors’ strategies by tackling the human elements of complex challenges.” - Jamie Bennett, Executive Director of ArtPlace America
