A Haven Solid as Rock

By Cara Kelly

This is the fifth in a six-article series detailing the role of the Hospitality House in the community, its clients and the newly initiated capital campaign that will enable the construction of a new facility.

For eight residents, Rock Haven of the Hospitality House of Boone serves as a permanent, supportive housing program that allows increased independence with the assistance of a structured facility.

All residents of the Rock Haven facility have been deemed disabled by a physician but are able to live alone without the help of a medical assistant.

“All of our residents here were homeless and have a disability,” Rock Haven housing service coordinator Sonya Hamby said. “Rock Haven enables them to live more independently while benefitting from supportive services.”

Like the other facilities of the Hospitality House, Rock Haven has strict guidelines restricting substance use, encouraging the creation and achievement of personal goals, and requiring those who cannot work to participate in some form of community activity.

“Like the other programs, the residents do have goals to work towards here,” Hamby said. “They are mostly on a personal level since they’ve obtained permanent housing. Some include maintaining sobriety, increasing their skill level or pay level if they have jobs, or one man’s was just getting his driver’s license back.”

Once a resident at Rock Haven, individuals can stay as long as they would like if they follow the guidelines established by the Hospitality House. For that reason, it is difficult to ascertain a position in the community home.

“We don’t really have that much turnover. This year we’ve had some and last year, but that was really due to death from health reasons,” Hamby said.

For those who successfully gain a one bedroom efficiency in the facility, the burden of having no space to call home is removed from their lives.

“The sheer fact of knowing they have a home, a place to sleep at night, reduces stress so they can work on other problems in their lives, such as their physical health, mental health or abuse problems,” Hamby said.

The Rock Haven facility has eight efficiency apartments that come with a microwave, sink, refrigerator and cable hook-up. There is also a common kitchen and living area where weekly house meetings are held along with monthly community dinners.

Residents of Rock Haven also have access to the contracted counselor of the Hospitality House and can participate in individual or group therapy sessions at the home.

Like all of the other programs of the Hospitality House, the waiting list for permanent housing will be greatly alleviated with the construction of the proposed facility.

An entire section of the new facility will be donated to permanent housing, with a suite containing three efficiency units with two beds each, three bedroom suites with a single bed, two common rooms and a shared laundry room. The new facility will add a total of nine beds to the permanent housing availability, doubling the current space offered by Rock Haven.

The current Rock Haven facility will be maintained by the Hospitality House after the construction of the new building.

To donate to the Hospitality House’s capital campaign, contact Pepper Berry at (828) 262-3461.