Leader Times

HAVIN, Inc. announces receipt of grant funding

Leader Times – Agency announces receipt of grant funding from the Staunton Farm Foundation.

HAVIN, Inc. recently announced that it has received a capacity building grant from the Staunton Farm Foundation to support the formation of focus groups in the most rural parts of Armstrong County and to support a staff wellness initiative, according to a press release.

Members of the focus groups will evaluate the correlation between mental health and domestic violence with the goal of closing service gaps in rural communities.

“We are pleased to partner with local mental health providers and our Board of Directors on this important initiative and hope to gain valuable input from the community so that we can work together to provide services to those community members who may be unable to receive services, due to the limitations of living in a rural community. We are also grateful to the Staunton Farm Foundation for recognizing the need to provide staff wellness activities for our staff, as we recognize that vicarious trauma is a very real concern for employees of social service organization,” says HAVIN, Inc. Executive Director Laurie Johns.

Future planning

Moving forward, Havin, Inc. will invite leaders from the local mental health community to form a subcommittee to plan and implement focus groups.

In the Spring of 2025, residents of the following communities will have the opportunity to attend sessions and provide input: Dayton; Parker; Pine Township/Madison; Gilpin Township (with priority given to residents of Schenley, PA); South Bend; and Sugarcreek, PA.

About HAVIN, Inc.

HAVIN is a dual center providing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and their significant others.

About the Staunton Farm Foundation

The Staunton Farm Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of people who live with mental illness and substance use disorders.

The Foundation works to enhance behavioral health treatment, support, and recovery through grant making to nonprofit organizations in ten southwestern Pennsylvania counties (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland).

Read the full story here.