State Comptroller Tours A Safe Haven Foundation
State Comptroller Munger Tours A Safe Haven Foundation to Highlight “Best Practice” Model and Discuss State Budget Impasse
Chicago, IL, April 19, 2016 –On Monday April 18th, Illinois Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger toured A Safe Haven Foundation’s main headquarters in order to highlight ASHF’s best practice model and discuss the ongoing budget impasses within the state of Illinois. Following the tour, A Safe Haven President Neli Vazquez Rowland and Comptroller Munger were interviewed by local media and were subsequently featured on several major Chicago news outlets. As an anchor organization in Chicago, ASHF’s scalable ecosystem model continues to be lauded on state, national and international levels for their innovative approach that combines both public and private business practices.
“It was an honor to have Comptroller Munger join us at A Safe Haven Foundation in order to witness first-hand the impact that the ASHF model imparts on those that we serve on a daily basis. Investment in proven best-practice models, on both public and private levels, is essential in order to truly impact not only the individuals whose lives are transformed, but the economic health and vibrancy of the communities in which we live and work” said A Safe Haven Foundation President and Co-Founder Neli Vazquez Rowland.
Non-profit organizations across the state are currently struggling to navigate the ongoing state budget stalemate. Many programs that serve homeless individuals have been forced to close down or drastically limit service offerings. As a result, A Safe Haven Foundation has stepped up in order to absorb many of those homeless men, women, children and veterans who are left without anywhere else to go, and is currently operating at full capacity 24/7. ASHF has continued to honor State contracts at a time that the State of Illinois has not been able to provide the funding owed to support their efforts. ASHF leadership and their network of supporters have remained committed to meeting the ongoing demand for basic human services by providing housing, nutrition and individualized wrap-around services to the most vulnerable citizens in the State.
“As the State Controller, and as a trusted steward of our precious State resources, I can attest that we see the multiplier effect of returning poverty stricken populations to self-sufficiency and reducing the human and financial toll to our public system as an incalculable priority and that we must all work to advocate, to protect and to support the landscape of valuable organizations and resources in our State” said Comptroller Munger.