Hope Haven opened it's doors in 2018 as a home for teenage girls in the foster care system. There was a realization that teenage girls in the foster system in Texas were not being adequately cared for, and that especially in East Texas there are hundreds of teenagers on a daily basis where there is not a safe place for them here. Kids who have experienced trauma, abuse, and neglect have significantly increased needs, and because of this are often inadequately cared for by the foster care system. That first home, Gateway of Hope, was started to serve these girls who were being largely forgotten and falling through the cracks without a place to call home or very much hope for their future. Over time, Hope Haven has grown as we have learned more about the needs in foster care in our region and about how important it is to build a continuum of care in our ministry. We have set our sights on providing a direct and local solution to the foster care crisis here in East Texas.