Community Corner
The Harbour: Celebrating 50 Years, Opening New Doors
A $300,000 Match Donation to Revive the Campaign. A former youth reports that she is thriving in Texas thanks to The Harbour
Founded in 1971, The Harbour serves a multi-community footprint in N/NW Suburban Cook County. Using adolescent focus and trauma informed care, The Harbour responds to the needs of locked out, runaway, and unaccompanied female and transgender teens experiencing homelessness.
“In 2019 we gained traction on our first in our history capital campaign to re-build our aging shelter,” said Kris Salyards, Executive Director. The project came to a screeching halt in March 2020 when the world shuttered itself to respond to the pandemic.
Emerging from the Shadows in 2021, Hope Revealed Itself
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January 3, 2021 was a day to remember for The Harbour. A Harbour friend and donor offered a revival strategy by offering a $300,000 match to the capital campaign. “This was the third day into our 50th Anniversary year,” Salyards noted.
“I remembered getting the call and burst into tears. This was the injection into the campaign that we needed, and it was the perfect news to kick off our 50 Years of Service celebration.”
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Harbour volunteers mobilized to rally on the campaign strategy. CBS caught wind of our campaign and came out to highlight the need. Thanks to the response from our community, and with only a few weeks left, The Harbour looks to be putting a shovel in the dirt before the end of this summer.
The Harbour Opens Doors to the Future: Jessica’s Experience
Ask one former youth who experienced living at The Harbour and she likely represents the voice of the hundreds of young women whose lives have been protected, supported, and healed.
As a vulnerable teen, Jessica ended a very abusive relationship and found safety at The Harbour. She reflects that she “just needed to get back to being normal. The Harbour gave me a lot of time to do that, whereas other shelters had very short time limits.”
“I was allowed to stay at The Harbour for six months which allowed me to decompress and heal from my abusive relationship. It provided me stability, which was definitely something I needed. The staff also helped with finding a place to work by helping me with my resume. "
We asked Jessica how The Harbour impacted her life, she simply stated, “It was how they actually seemed to genuinely care about us. They didn't expect us to be perfect people, they recognized that we're all human. It was really nice to be treated as a human, not a burden. The Harbour’s staff helped me regain my sense of self-respect and self-love.”
As to what The Harbour experience has meant to Jessica’s future, she proudly says, ‘I'm currently a full-time student at Texas State University and a biology major with a focus in pre-medicine. I've been married over a year and my husband and I are planning to have a baby in the near future. This is, in large part, because of The Harbour.”
About The Harbour
The Harbour offers young homeless women and girls immediate, stable, and safe housing. Staff provide nutritious meals, support for education and employment and individual counseling to help break the cycle of homelessness.
The Harbour's headquarters located at 1440 Renaissance Drive, Suite 240, Park Ridge: 847-297-8540. Or email general@theharbour.org. Or visit: https://theharbour.org/ and harbour2020.com.