The Haven opened on March 1, 2024, in Brussels, Ontario. It was started to address the increasing and, in many ways, unique risks faced by residents of the surrounding rural community.  These unique risks are common to many other rural communities as well.  The reality of funding in our current world is that urban centers receive first choice and often the majority of the available funding.  This reality leaves many people at an increased risk simply because they do not live in urban centers. 

The Haven was started by Leesa Stephenson to provide harm reduction-based, community-grounded solutions to the spectrum of risks from substance use to food security, transportation limitations, fall prevention, fraud, and loneliness, to negotiating the use of the internet for medical appointments and government forms. These risks are faced daily by Brussels and the surrounding area.

The Haven's unique perspective on risk/harm, with its broader focus than is usual, as well as its belief that support and help are found in a true sense of community, respect, and involvement, is grounded in Leesa's personal experience(s) with substances/addiction, housing insecurity, stigma, and harm reduction.  Leesa is an alumnus of Renison College at the University of Waterloo, which she attended as an adult student after her life changed progressively for the better. By using harm reduction techniques and community supports, she was able to successfully make some lasting changes with her addiction and trauma issues.  These changes are still in effect today and, this has led her to a firmly grounded belief that these 2 things can make that same difference for anyone if there is a safer place to access these things.   After graduation, she worked for several years in Kitchener-Waterloo as an Outreach Co-ordinator and in other social services capacities. All risks are treated equally at the Haven and are not moralized.  Our focus at the Haven is on the person and supporting them to create a future that they envision for themselves.

  Risk = Risk

This focus allows our community as a whole and the Haven's work to focus on commonalities between people:

• a desire to be accepted,
• a need to be safe (physically, mentally, and emotionally)
• a need to belong-- community in its real sense
• to be able to have a purpose or meaning 

NOT the things that are different-- all of which are truly superficial by comparison if we are honest about it.

The Haven is currently the non-profit branch of Leesa's registered business, Dignity Alternatives, that specializes in addiction counselling and bodywork (Craniosacral therapy, DMT, and MLD).  Community support has continued to increase since that time, with many businesses and individuals donating time (volunteers), in-kind and financial support to programs such as the Food Share Program, a variety of workshops, and helping to defray the day-to-day overhead costs of keeping our doors open.

The Future

With no plan, hope, or dream for the future, people, businesses, and organizations don't grow and eventually start to wither from the inside out.  With this in mind, the Haven is taking steps to eventually become a separate, incorporated non-profit.   All funds that are collected from our year-round can and empties drive are placed in a fund specifically for this purpose. This will open the door to more funding opportunities for programming and perhaps expansion at a later point in time. 

If you are interested in joining the Haven's Advisory Committee (precursor to a Board of Directors) please contact us as we have positions available and your experience, skills, and ideas are needed to make the Haven a truly invested community entity.