News station shows how The Haven Home supports women and children
Spectrum News highlighted the work of The Haven Home and Executive Director Cindy Rios in a news article.
Shelter acts as a haven to women and their children
CLEVELAND — Just like a mother is to her children, the Haven Home aims to be a nurturing and supportive place with Executive Director Cindy Rios as the lifeline behind it all.
Their monthly diaper distribution is just one of many programs the home offers.
“We give out about 2,000 diapers every month,” Rios said. “We ask the families to register in advance so we know we have the sizes available. So we give them a pack of diapers. We give them some baby wipes.”
The home has 17 rooms, which Rios said can comfortably fit around 10 families while they wait to be placed in a more permanent shelter. The Haven Home was established as a “family overflow shelter” in 2017 for homeless women and their children in Cuyahoga County. The shelter exists to provide temporary emergency shelter until a bed becomes available at a family shelter.
“Cuyahoga County is one of the few counties that has a mandate to always provide shelter,” Rios said. “So no one goes unsheltered. So when all the other family shelters are full, they come here.”
Some families stay for a few days while others stay for a few months. Regardless of the length of their stay, Rios and the Haven Home staff try to make every room feel like home.
