Veteran in Audience: “I Experienced All That”

CHICAGO — The homeless military veterans had never seen an opera before.  But when Handel’s Hercules opened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the veteran residents at A Safe Haven Foundation’s shelters, who saw the dress rehearsal on March 2, knew that operagoers will be better able to identify with their urgent struggles.

Director Peter Sellars consulted the Chicago-area veterans during the rehearsal process, in order to better understand “the questions we are grappling with,” he said, noting that while two wars are being fought, veterans’ voices are unrepresented and their stories go unreported.

In the play, Hercules returns from war to his wife in Trachis, where he struggles to connect emotionally with friends and family around him.  Eventually, this emotional breach leads to his tragic downfall.

In Chicago, 30% of the homeless population are military veterans, and 80% suffer from diseases of addiction, said Neli Vazquez-Rowland, the president of A Safe Haven Foundation (ASHF), who was just named “Chicagoan of the Year” by Chicago Magazine.  The not-for-profit helps veterans, mothers with children, and other people in crisis attain stable housing, employment, and sobriety.

“We were so honored to work with the Lyric Opera to start bringing these issues to a broader audience,” said Vazquez-Rowland.  Her husband, co-founder of ASHF Brian Rowland, is also a veteran.

“I experienced all that, so it brought back a lot for me,” said ASHF resident Bernard Jones, who was deployed to Germany and whose daughter served three tours in Iraq.  However, Jones says that his current situation is much better.

“A Safe Haven [Foundation] gave me … a solid foundation in my life, and that’s what affords me the opportunity now to be there for my daughter,” said Jones.

If only Hercules had access to the same opportunity.    

              TCF Bank, MINI USA, Chicago Bulls Take the Wheel in Food “Drive”

CHICAGO — Visitors to the Chicago Auto Show last week were offered discounted admission to thank them for contributions of non-perishable food for homeless and hungry Chicagoans, and they contributed 20,000 pounds of food to the cause, said Neli Vazquez-Rowland, president of A Safe Haven Foundation (ASHF), the organization collecting for the homeless and hungry.

“We are grateful to TCF Bank, MINI USA, the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Auto Show for the opportunity to put on our ‘drive’ for the homeless,” said Vazquez-Rowland, named Chicagoan of the Year last month by Chicago Magazine. “Chicagoans were able to see the world’s most innovative car models by donating to America’s most innovative community development model, based right here in Chicago.”

ASHF’s Community Food Pantry distributes food to families from neighborhoods in the food desert surrounding the social enterprise’s main campus at 2750 West Roosevelt Road, just 5 miles from the Auto Show.  Some of the food also feeds residents of the homeless shelter, which offers comprehensive services to return individuals in crisis to self-sufficiency.  The meals served at ASHF are even prepared by residents participating in the food services job training program, one of several such services offered.  A Safe Haven Foundation placed 81% of its trainees into employment last year.

Visitors’ canned goods were held and transported in boxes generously donated by Alan Josephsen Co. Inc.  Former Chicago Bulls player Sidney Green made an appearance, and Gov. Pat Quinn stopped by for a photo, to help raise awareness for the issues of homelessness, unemployment, and addiction.

“This is an exciting privilege to participate in A Safe Haven’s Food Drive at the Chicago Auto Show, which I’ve been attending since I was a little boy,” said ASHF resident Wilson Dawes, who volunteered at the booth.  “A Safe Haven Foundation has been like a miracle in my life…  Thanks to the Auto Show, so many people will learn about A Safe Haven Foundation’s wonderful work.”

"Over the past 15 years the Chicago Auto Show has collected nearly 300,000 pounds of food for A Safe Haven Foundation and we believe that the food drive is an important element of the work we do each year in putting on the auto show in this great community," said Kevin Mize, Chairman of the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.    

About the Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is the largest on the continent, spanning over one million square feet of production, concept, and exotic vehicle exhibit space.  The 2011 public show was held from February 11-20. For more information, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com or Facebook.com/chicagoautoshow.

About A Safe Haven Foundation
A Safe Haven is America’s leading social and economic development model, providing evidence-based, community-based, integrated services that include supportive and affordable housing, individual case management, healthcare, treatment, life skills education, and job training and placement to thousands of individuals a year, including homeless families, military veterans, and ex-offenders reentering society from prison or recovering from the diseases of substance abuse and alcoholism.  A Safe Haven Foundation designs service plans that are unique to the individual’s needs and partners with for-profit and not-for-profit social business enterprises to achieve self-sufficiency for its clients.  Since 1994, ASHF and its related entities have provided services to over 32,000 people.  A Safe Haven Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois. 

                                                       FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

               Contact: Benjamin Singer, Media & Communications Manager at 773.459.8386

                           Social Entrepreneur
                NAMED “Chicagoan of the Year”
                            BY CHICAGO MAGAZINE

                        Non-Profit Founder, Mother of Two Honored for Courage, Service

CHICAGO, Ill.—One family’s story of alcoholism and recovery has become the saving grace of many Chicagoland families and communities.  The leader of this sustainable social and economic development movement, A Safe Haven Foundation President Neli Vazquez-Rowland, was named a “Chicagoan of the Year” in Chicago Magazine’s January 2011 issue.

When Vazquez-Rowland’s husband, Brian Rowland, experienced the disease of alcoholism, the couple realized the need for supportive housing for people in at-risk situations, as well as a comprehensive continuum of care to promote independence and self-sufficiency.  They ended their careers in finance to co-found A Safe Haven Foundation, the work for which Vazquez-Rowland is being honored.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized as a Chicagoan of the Year,” offered Vazquez-Rowland, a triathlete and mother of two.  “I am blessed to have my husband as my inspiration and my partner, and to represent a staff and mission that not only strive to change lives, but they truly deliver.”

Vazquez-Rowland believes that many individuals moving through the criminal justice system and/or living in crisis have stories similar to her family’s.  So she is pushing for a paradigm shift to address the root causes of homelessness, addiction, and unemployment in order to sustainably stabilize individuals through housing and substantial job placement.  The not-for-profit entity has a greater success rate and lower costs than any other approaches, including prison. 

“Many non-violent offenders now in prison would qualify for ASHF programs and would benefit greatly from the Safe Haven approach,” she says.  “As someone who has enjoyed success by overcoming obstacles in life, I derive tremendous joy in helping others find inspiration, and dare them to aspire to achieve their heart’s desire."