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HAVEN FOR HOPE GETS BIG BOOST
Haven for Hope, the full-service homeless campus being built just west of downtown, is expected to receive a major boost this morning in the form of a gift for construction of its health and wellness center.
The details of the gift — who is making it and for how much — will be revealed at a news conference next to the construction site. But it is expected to exceed the $5 million gift made by Bill Greehey, chairman of NuStar Energy and one of the city's most generous philanthropists.
Greehey says the gift will be the largest to date to the nonprofit corporation formed to build and oversee the 22-acre one-stop campus, which will boast an array of services: shelter, food, education, job training, medical, dental and mental health care, legal support and more.
“God has truly blessed this project and (today's) historic announcement is further proof of that,” said the former Valero chief, who early on committed to raising $47 million in private funds for the venture.
He said the gift brings him within $10 million of that goal.
Construction on the campus is well under way, and the health and wellness center, housed in what was an old warehouse at North Frio and North Salado streets, is slated to open in January of next year. It will be named after its major donor.
The building will include medical, dental and vision services, and will be open to the surrounding community as well as for those served by Haven for Hope. It will also house Haven's intake center, the starting point for homeless people seeking help and “transformation,” the project's most important buzzword.
Across the street from the campus, the new public safety triage and detoxification center, recently renamed “the Restoration Center,” has already begun offering those services.
Opened just three months ago, the center has already saved taxpayers money by keeping those with alcohol and drug problems who get picked up for minor offenses out of jail and local emergency rooms, officials say.
“Direct savings for avoiding the use of the detention center (jail) and the magistrates court is estimated to be $330,480,” wrote Charles S. Bowker, the chief financial officer for the Center for Health Care Services, which runs the center.
That doesn't factor in operational costs, but Bowker and others predict the savings will only increase as Haven for Hope becomes operational, beginning next year.
Experts estimate that 60 percent of the homeless have untreated drug and alcohol problems. Those at Haven will spend up to six hours a day in long-term treatment at the center.
While thankful for the latest donation, Greehey also had kind words for the city and county, which are both contributing.
“This was always conceived as a public-private partnership, and both the city and the county have been incredible partners,” he said.
The city of San Antonio has committed $15 million for land, demolition costs and other purposes.
Bexar County originally agreed to give $5 million, but proposed on Tuesday, as part of its 2009 budget, to increase that amount by another $5 million to help pay the increased capital costs.
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