Today we’d like to introduce you to Neli Vazquez-Rowland.
Neli, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Why did I choose to veer in a different direction as I was moving along an established track, away from my senior level position at a top finance firm? It seemed like I had everything — however, early on, I picked up on a lesson that my purpose, first and foremost, was giving back and helping all, as one humanity.
I certainly wanted to be successful, but I also wanted to know I was making an optimal impact on society. I had a personal experience with addiction in my family that armed me with first-hand knowledge of the intensive challenges that people face and overcome when working on recovery, and most people’s current options were fragmented and ineffectual if available at all — especially for those with the least resources and status. I turned a new leaf to help people struggling with the disease of addiction and the often-co-occurring mental health disorder dual diagnosis.
My husband, Brian Rowland, and I took the first action steps by investing our own funds in renovating abandoned buildings and crack houses that we turned into recovery homes; we allowed people to live in them free of charge if they agreed to let us help them and to refrain from active drug or alcohol use. We figured we’d sell when the market was right. Word spread fast and people came on their own and were referred by treatment centers in droves! What we were doing was really working and we felt the need to continue. After five years, we took the leap of faith and dedicated our lives to building our vertically integrated model full-time.
As we searched for charities to support our efforts, we found out that there was no place that aligned with our values. We knew that much more than a meal or a place to sleep at night was needed to really help: like solving root causes and connecting people to the right integrated services that ultimately lead to a stable job and housing, and sustained independence. We were frustrated with a fragmented and siloed healthcare delivery system and wanted to offer people access to a system that truly worked, prompting us to start A Safe Haven.
We began under the radar and liked it that way, as long as we knew what we were doing. However, over time we found strategically aligned partners who were there to lift us out of the shadows and into the limelight, touting us as a benchmark in the field of health care delivery, an aspirational brand, a best practice paradigm, as trailblazers and humanitarians, and illuminating our mission and methods to a wider audience. Wide-spread sharing engaged more supporters and helped raise awareness.
For example, Loyola Magazine took us a step forward breaking the story about ASH and social entrepreneurship in 2004, before the concept of building a business around a cause; doing well while doing good; became well-known. Their story helped to light the flame for our reputation as pioneers in the field of social business enterprise, social responsibility and public private partnership models. The article includes the success story of Penny, an executive administrator for A Safe Haven, who spent nine months as a resident, shook her addiction to pain pills, worked steadily and reunited with her family.
In 2010, Chicago Magazine ran a story on us lauding the success of our multi-faceted programming and naming me a Chicagoan of the Year; it included an interview with a 12-year-old boy who gushed about how well his mom was doing in our program, getting her off of drugs and back on track; they also described a woman in her 50’s who was leaving ASHF upon completing her treatment, gleefully bound for her first apartment.
In 2013, my peers at Rotary One sincerely surprised me with the unique and notable “Service above Self” award at an event honoring a stellar group of Chicago women in leadership. Thanks to Rotary International I was later granted a Humanitarian Award at the distinctive White House Champions of Change event. I was stunned when an international publication by The Rotarian magazine featured ASH in an extremely generous 10-page story in 2014, providing international and national exposure regarding cutting-edge ways ASH addresses and solves problems.
It featured the story of Bianca; a woman who spent 36 years in crisis, in and out of prison and living on the streets due to her addiction to opioids and heroin. Her story and several hundreds of other personal testimonials have inspired dozens of Rotarians from around the world to tour A Safe Haven, along with other respected dignitaries who have joined us from across the globe. These are just a few incredible honors and recognitions that have extended our reach and amplified our voice.
Every year, we have a chance to actively join with thousands of partners and supporters from all over the State of Illinois who take part in our Annual 5K RUN! To End Homelessness. This year’s 5K will be held at Montrose Harbor. As an avid runner, I love combining my passions for philanthropy and fitness and I’m proud of this 8th year of producing a tremendous fundraising event that allows us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It’s a phenomenal day for engaging with like-minded people, exercising, and enjoying the beautiful lakefront and skyline. Join us!
Has it been a smooth road?
We’ve faced bumps in the road, but there’s no mountain high enough to stop those of us with an entrepreneurial spirit, driven to instigate intensive social impact and committed to leadership–especially when real lives are at stake.
In part, it’s been a challenging road because the process of recovery from addiction is an intensive one. Especially for disenfranchised individuals, gaining housing stability and employment stability, and recovery from addiction are all situations that take understanding, time and patience. Many people we work with have suffered historically and in their personal lives, and there is a lot of pain to get through to the other side.
People’s misconceptions and quick-fixes are also a roadblock. The care that is currently offered is not informed by best practices. That’s why I have been working tirelessly with House Representative La Shawn Ford and we recently submitted our first bill, House Bill 5868. It is landmark legislation—a total game changer in our field that allows more people to transition thoughtfully, purposely and seamlessly into the right level and methodology of care for the disease of addiction and mental health disorders. We are incredibly grateful to have a group of advocates working to transform the system and change lives. It takes real grit to educate and mobilize people and change policy but it’s worth its weight in gold.
The feeling that certain social problems are insurmountable sometimes stops people from taking steps. Yet I submit that 25 years ago when I was in finance, I never would have imagined what people could accomplish —even that the idea of helping an individual change was possible; and I am proof positive that transforming the lives of 5,000 people a year is achievable. All that is needed is the will and the informed actions of the collective community to make it a reality, for each of us to take one step in the direction, and to build the momentum.
A bumpy road has never stopped me. I always find the silver lining behind the clouds. Despite challenges, there is so much joy in hearing about the successes of our alum. We get to hear from people that we believed in before they could believe in themselves; this is key to getting people to begin the transformation process. Those who look least likely to succeed have lived up to what we saw as their full potential. There is nothing so beautiful as seeing mothers who now have the tools to raise their own kids, to be their children’s competent parent and advocate, share in positive experiences and help them to lead healthy lives and thrive. Whatever stigma we may all tend to associate with the diseases of addiction and associated consequences, we hope to inspire others to learn from our experience that as you take the time to uncover what is beneath the surface, you will find precious and irreplaceable treasures hidden under the rubble.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with A Safe Haven Foundation – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My vision is to ensure that there is an A Safe Haven in every community in America. Millions of people are in crisis in America and have no idea where to go.
Imagine having any kind of disease like diabetes, breast cancer or AIDS and being in crisis not knowing where to begin the process of healing.
For over 5,000 people a year that finds themselves in crisis from social, behavioral health and mental health issues, A Safe Haven is that place that is seamless, consistently and reliably known for rebuilding lives from a social and economic crisis, like poverty and addiction, to success.
Due to the stigma associated with the issues that we address, we remained a best-kept secret except to those who eventually found their way to A Safe Haven from a referral or through word of mouth. Then, thankfully, people began talking about our issues — issues that had been prominent all along but swept under the rug, As we expand our foot print and grow our model, and as more people support our efforts, we know that some day our brand will be a household name that hopefully no one ever needs for themselves — but just in case crisis happens, they will have the peace of mind of knowing that people can go to a place and get help as soon as the need arises to overcome and get back on their feet.
I believe and almost everyone believes, that no one in America should have to suffer in silence and spiral into vicious cycles of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, crime, and end up living on the streets, or totally dependent on help from the ‘broken’ system. As we have arrived at extreme desperation with these issues, the good news is that ASHF’s fully proven and growing model serves as an example of what a successful and scalable model looks like. We are considered a sustainable solution that is far beyond a start-up. I am grateful that our model inspires business and policy leaders when they see that transforming lives is a very realistic and achievable goal that we repeat every single day. ASHF is a proof of concept.
As a prime example of the type of real stories that move us into action every day, we are so proud of our ASHF Alum. Bianca who was initially featured in The Rotary story in 2014. When she walked into ASHF in 2011 with 36 years of heroin addiction, over 120 arrests, 7 bits in prison and estranged from her family and children, she wanted to change; most people who have succumbed to addictions say the same thing; but she didn’t know how. Within eight months after her arrival to ASHF, her life was transformed and she left with a solid recovery plan, a job and the keys to her own apartment. Today, and since the story was printed, she now has her own house, is rising through the ranks in a thriving career, and launching a book in June. Bianca is reunited with her family, living in recovery, and living the American Dream. Her story of trial and triumph, which we are grateful that she is generously sharing publicly, continues to unfold and inspire others every day. She always remembers to credit us with contributing to her success at a pivotal moment in her life. Bianca represents over 100,000 people that have come to A Safe Haven since 1994 and have made their own transformations to becoming positive productive members of society.
One of my other favorite things I’ve done is to find a way to combine my passions for fitness and philanthropy by starting and producing Chicago’s first and largest 5K RUN! to End Homelessness! I love connecting and galvanizing stakeholders, corporate leaders, policymakers, investors, philanthropists, volunteers and even those we serve. There are a special and wonderful vibe and positive energy that happens when you see people from all over Chicago and across the country that come out and help us invigorate the cause. We’ve come a long way; we started out eight years ago with only a couple of hundred people attending to thousands today, and every year it’s exciting to see more like-minded people join us. We hope to continue to expand our network of friends and family that agree with our philosophy and want to make sure that we prioritize and make others aware of the need to help the least among us. Like so many other causes that attract thousands of people to run or walk and fundraise for their cause, this is our action-step to introduce people to our cause in a fun and impactful way. Whether folks come to volunteer, run, walk, recruit their friends and co-workers or come alone, it all helps! http://www.asafehaven.org/5k-run-to-end-homelessness/
Thank you Voyage team for the opportunity to share my story and ASHF’s. It is timely! We are in the process of expanding our footprint to other markets and we are considering the idea of an HQ2 similar to Amazon’s approach to building in a market that supports innovation and public-private partnership ideas. You never know who might read this and may want to learn more about helping us make that dream happen, too!
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Chicago is a land of wonderful architecture, a majestic skyline, beautiful water features and delightful cuisine, and on and on. I want to point out a stunning feature about Chicago that draws Chicagoans and tourist alike. Before most people are awake, A Safe Haven’s award-winning landscaping social business enterprise, staffed in large part by ASHF alum, is working to enhance our city with the famous tulips in the medians on Michigan Ave, in addition to hundreds of other glorious floral arrays and landscaping features that set the city apart. While they are probably one of the most photographed images of Chicago trending on Instagram, the best-kept secret, even here at home, is that behind the scenes the real beauty actually resides in the people that plant those flowers!
Although Chicago is a big city, it feels like a small town made up of vibrant business leaders and entrepreneurs, courageous community and policy leaders, and best of all Chicago is home to the most generous and big-hearted philanthropic leaders, made up of faithful and big-hearted individuals who were either born here or adopted our City and organizations, who help Chicago live up to its name as representing the heartland, in more ways than one. If you want to know who we are talking about, just follow who is authentically investing and growing their business and making time to step up to serve on boards and committees, and engaging in all of the ways that people do, who show up and give to serve and to solve problems that help lift up their fellow man from all communities. These folks are committed and in it for the long haul like we are, and they are what I call my real heroes!
As a social business, nonprofit and philanthropic leader, I get the privilege of having lots of opportunities to engage with other business owners, learn from them and grow. For example, I found high value in the Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program. Although I completed my Cohort 9 program a few years ago, I continue to stay in touch, learn and share with many fellow candidates who are some of the brightest and insightful entrepreneurs, I’ve ever met. I can’t help but feel their success is all of our success! This is invaluable to have, as oftentimes entrepreneurs and leaders have a hard time finding a support network that understands the challenges we all face in common, and the willingness to share their advice. I also love having a fun group to celebrate successes with too.
Since our vision at A Safe Haven is bigger than ourselves, I cannot overstate the gratitude for our courageous policy leaders who support our work in the community and are currently helping us to open a new frontier in the field of behavioral healthcare delivery. As I mentioned previously, I am really excited to have introduced my first piece of legislation called House Bill 5868. I found a champion in State Representative La Shawn Ford as he sponsored this landmark legislation. He among so many other elected officials have witnessed our work in the community and finally we have the historic legislation that we desperately need to bridge the healthcare and behavioral healthcare systems to vastly increase A Safe Haven’s ability to accept referrals and seamlessly transition people from hospitals to a proven state-licensed community based behavioral healthcare continuum of care.
The bill is slated to bridge profound gaps in the system and greatly reduce recidivism, improve long-term and short-term outcomes, and track individuals to improve management of health and behavioral health; these improvements will lead to reduced health care costs, relapse rates and catastrophic losses of lives that can become trapped in the system as it exists today. “When” (fingers crossed!) HB Bill 5868 passes, we will be the first State in the Country that has, for the first time, created the healthcare to behavioral healthcare continuum of care system. I predict it will become a national model that has the ability to reverse the trajectory of the opioid epidemic for thousands of people in need.
To mention what I like least – with Chicago’s shortcomings of social and economic inequity and injustices, the silver lining is that the problems call us to join to support those in need. With heightened awareness of the consequences of a broken system have become painfully obvious, it is only a matter of time now that more public and private partnerships grow and strengthen. There is no doubt in my mind that with the right alignments and a strategic plan, together we can surely leverage our resources and use real best methods to solve real problems to transform real people’s lives – today and every day. I am committed to doing my part to sharing and contributing to a scalable and systematic solution that works for all of us. To learn more about A Safe Haven or to find me, please visit and reach out our website.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2750 W. Roosevelt Rd.
Chicago, IL 60608 - Website: www.asafehaven.org
- Phone: 773-435-8300
- Email: info@asafehaven.org
- Instagram: @A_Safe_Haven_Foundation
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ASafeHavenFoundation
- Twitter: http://www.asafehaven.org/
- Other: twitter.com/A_Safe_Haven
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